Trumped

In a Bud Light-infused moment, it’s possible to see how an under-employed, bitter factory worker in Cleveland, Flint or Gary would support Donald J. Trump, New York billionaire with a personal air force living aside a trophy wife in a golden penthouse festooned with pictures of himself. After all, people now think in Tweets. Drain the swamp. Fire and fury. Lock her up.

When he said he’d kick foreign ass and bring the jobs back, as astonishingly naïve as that may be, they believed. Because they wished to. Somebody was to blame. Trump would thump them. He spoke deplorable, and connected. The perfect man for a time when slogans win votes. Dougie Ford learned that one. More of the ilk to come.

But for Canadians to support this guy (as evidenced in the comments section of this pathetic blog) is a revelation. They view the Donald not so much as trumpeting America, but rather championing the embattled, fading, struggling middle class full of aging dudes whose station in life is kaput. They may cheer a disruptor, but seem unaware of the consequences. And there could soon be many in the wake of the first attack in my lifetime by Americans on a sitting Canadian prime minister.

So let’s talk cars. This is a big deal.

On the weekend, while calling T2 weak and dishonest, Trump Tweeted “I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the (G7 communique) as we look at tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. market!” This is the nightmare scenario for the Canadian economy, and especially southern Ontario. The country’s biggest export is oil – 20% of what we ship. The second is cars – 15%, worth about $53 billion.

Trump is already moving towards imposing a tariff on cars assembled in Canada so stiff that companies like Ford, GM, Chrysler or Honda would simply stop. Which is what he wants, despite the fallout. Currently about 90% of all the vehicle production in this country flows south, and 65% of those cars is made from parts that flowed north. It’s a totally integrated industry.

About 120,000 Canadians work in cars. A third of those are in assembly plants and the rest make parts. Together it adds up to $80 billion in economic activity. The Auto Pact of 1965 began this interweaving of jobs, skills, parts, bodies, glass, steel, rubber, chips, wires and plastic and massive plants in Brampton, Oshawa, Woodstock and Windsor stand as monuments to its success.

But last month the protectionist, nationalist, jingoistic leader of the free world initiated a Department of Commerce investigation to determine if the 53-year-old arrangement was suddenly a threat to US national security. This is the same argument used to slap new tariffs on steel and aluminum produced by Canada, America’s longest and strongest ally. The Commerce Department will be accepting input for 10 more days, then hold two hearings in July, and then it’s showtime.

Economists are apoplectic. The estimated job loss would be between 300,000 and 500,000, with 195,000 of those occurring in the US. American consumers would pay, on average, $6,400 more per vehicle because of lost manufacturing capacity and higher input costs. Canadians plants would simply close, and car prices here escalate substantially.

Says fabled car guy and analyst Dennis Desrochiers: “It’s a nightmare scenario for Canada, the United States and Mexico, but the biggest hit will be on the U.S. So, Trump can’t be serious.”

Trump’s argument is that imports of cars and trucks have increased from 32% of all cars sold to 48% over the last two decades, while US-based auto manufacturing jobs have declined 22%. Under NAFTA there are no tariffs now on the flow of cars or parts across the three borders, which has led manufacturers to move jobs, plants and resources to where they make sense. So, if Chrysler can make Dodge Challengers and Chargers cheaper in Brampton than in a neighbouring US state, that’s what happens.

So it would appear tariffs would cost American jobs and make cars more expensive for American families. They would decimate a swath of the Canadian GDP and pretty much destroy a century of cooperation, growth and mutual support. Unemployment here would rise and the loss would be of high-paying, good-benefit manufacturing jobs. Local economies would be decimated, and housing markets levelled. The US would be seen as more isolationist than at any time since the First World War, when it left Canada to do most of the fighting.

Meanwhile Trump went to Singapore to meet a dictator. He lavished praise on a man who months ago threatened to nuke LA. And he calls Canada’s prime minister a dishonest, betraying backstabber.

And after we gave them Mike Holmes. Really.

294 comments ↓

TRUE OR FALSE (searching for a grain of truth in the unsubstantiated claims of Vancouver Island agents)

“Single family home prices are still rising across Greater Victoria and this is most noticeable in the higher-priced areas. House prices will continue to rise this year, next year and every year after that, despite falling demand.

We agree that weakening demand typically brings about falling house prices, but not in Victoria or anywhere else in BC. And agents throughout BC agree with us.

And we have the results from the realtor benchmark price index as proof.

In Saanich East, for example, demand for single family homes has fallen dramatically year-over-year (down 24%), yet the benchmark price has continued to climb every month compared to last year.

In other words, prices will never stop rising in Saanich East or any other area of Greater Victoria. If it was ever going to happen it would have happened already. It hasn‘t so it won‘t”

If single family home prices in Saanich East really are higher year over year then it would show up in the Victoria board’s factual, objective and non-realtorized price data.

Saanich East single family home average price:

May
2018.…971,611
2017.…991,223

April
2018.…956,392
2017.…980,829

March
2018.…1,025,006
2017.…1,017,822
(Source: Victoria’s R/E board)

Those numbers don’t show that “single family home prices have increased year-over-year in Saanich East” as proof that “falling demand will never stop prices from continuing to climb in Victoria”.

This factual data from the local board’s website disagrees with their subjective interpretation of the direction of single family home prices in Saanich East over the past year, which is based on their realtor benchmark price index.

And what exactly is that realtor benchmark price index all about? The local board explains:

“At the heart of the (benchmark price index) is the concept of the “benchmark” home, a notional home… in a given area. The benchmark home does not represent any actual house, condo or townhouse…”
– Victoria’s R/E board, March 3, 2014

A “notional home” is an imaginary home. Do you really expect real and representative results from a price index that uses an imaginary home with real estate agents doing the calculations?

It seems that the economists predicting the end of world if Trump rips NAFTA might be living in the 1970s.

Today with automation and computerization, the real labour cost componant of a car is much less than it was. It all comes down to red tape. The US could repatriate all car production without creating wage increases.

Extremely disappointed in Canadians who would support Donald Trump because they dislike Trudeau. It’s traitorous in my opinion. You’re essentially cheering on the destruction of the Canadian economy for your own personal pride and ego. Trump is nothing but a wannabe dictator. Who wants to wall off the US, and destroy other countries on a whim. Canada does not deserve this treatment. And cheering Trump on is downright treasonous.

This can’t be blamed on JT. Trump is going to try to bring back as many auto industry jobs as he can possibly bring back to the US short of totally wiping Canada out. Unfortunately, any US industry we try to hurt with tariffs Trump will just make whole with subsidies or tax breaks. With no NAFTA there is likely no recourse for Canada. The US only exports about 290B of stuff to Canada each year. To an economy with a GDP of about 20 Trillion, that’s not much. We do about the same the other way, but against a GDP of about 2 Trillion. That’s more than 10% of our economy. I still think Trump is bluffing. He just wants to bring a few jobs back to make good with the Northern states. Then he’ll just hit the links.

But for Canadians to support this guy (as evidenced in the comments section of this pathetic blog) is a revelation. They view the Donald not so much as trumpeting America, but rather championing the embattled, fading, struggling middle class full of aging dudes whose station in life is kaput. They may cheer a disruptor, but seem unaware of the consequences.

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Well, it’s simple. The average dude and dudette is an idiot. No sympathy here. You’ll all learn your lesson soon enough…or maybe not. They’re probably too stupid to even realize a brick hit them in the face.

Thank you globally diversified portfolio. I feel so sheltered from the moronic actions of others. For everything else, there’s Mastercard.

The link at the end of my post will take you to a chart on the St. Louis Fed website of the USA’s All Sectors; Debt Securities and Loans; Liability, Level (TCMDO) versus their gross domestic product, from 1975 to 2018.

The following is taken off this same web page:

“The FRED series Total Credit Market Debt Owed is now known as All Sectors; Debt Securities and Loans; Liability, Level.”

It’s hard to really picture the mess tariffs on Canadian assembled automobiles would create. One would hope that the car companies themselves would put pressure on the US Government. If they all up and leave, is there anything we can really do that the US would notice? Turn off the oil? Turn off the water? Turn off the electricity? What an incredible step backwards this president is turning out to be.

First of all, trump’s attack on our dairy management system is not incorrect. We do have big tariffs on foreign dairy products and the net benefit is to cater to dairy farms and their lobby. Other farms don’t get this same protection.

Secondly, a lot of Canadians are tired of Trudeau throwing millions of tax payer dollars around supporting international liberal causes such as “girls education” when our a lot of own citizens are struggling.

The US restricts sugar imports the way we restrict dairy. Are we having a hissy? The dairy thing is just another Trump throwaway line and accounts for 0.2% of mutual trade. – Garth

Remember kids, it’s all about him, keeping the Donald front and centre in the news. To hell with everyone! As President he’s got authority to sign treaties and slap tariffs and do whatever the hell he wants, just so he can see the chaos on FOX News, CNN, etc…

#10 haha, was going to say the same thing. Canada can just keep selling condos to each other and overseas- now that’s a real economy! Too bad trump wasn’t in power in B.C. instead of the liberals the last 15 years.

What’s the problem with deporting illegal immigrants? That’s something I never understood, as an immigrant myself. I had to go through all the screening, paid all the fees, all the lawyers. I had to present hundreds of documents, certify them in Canada (all at a huge cost), get notarized translations of everything (hiring Canadian translators), pay for english exams, and on and on. And in the end you still have to wait in line. Why others can just show up and be rewarded with Permanent Residency? Are they special, deserving special treatment? When you stay illegally, you are breaking the law and the consequence of it, if caught, is deportation. The US has 15 million illegals there, deporting them is no crime. On the contrary. If they can get away with breaking immigration law, where do we draw the line? Do we give amnesty to all tax cheaters also?

No one can expect Canadians to understand the desperation felt by the middle class in America. Before passing such a harsh judgement let’s wait until you experience a full housing crash along with the loss of thousands of factories and hundreds of thousands of middle class paying jobs they provided.
Add in a 10% increase in population with foreign citizens (say 3.8 million) rushing your border and coming into Canada illegally. Then watch wages of the remaining jobs drop to nothing due to the competition created by those workers. When your bitching about property taxes jumping up because you need to educate those foreign citizens kids (please feed them too!) try to overlook the additional taxes in order to provide everybody with free healthcare. While that’s going on watch the liberals in charge hide those foreign citizens from being deported and provide them with what they need in order to vote in your elections.
THEN you just might understand why the losers, the deplorable’s wanted Trump.

Intimidation is his tactic. What else could be expected? On the good side, in a week he probably won’t even remember what happened. He is quickly losing relevance, and the US are losing relevance along with him. Too bad.

Trudeau should start doing his homework and come to the meetings prepared. Knowing the balance of trade is kinda important when you go into a free trade agreement negotiation. Tripping on such facts is not acceptable for a PM.

If a couple of auto plants shut down in either Canada or Mexico and move to USA, Trump will get elected a second term.
I do not believe he is bluffing, if high paying jobs come back regardless of inflation or other consequences, Trump will win again.

In any dealership there are many models of choice, and once chosen you build the car as to type and options desired because each car is unique today unlike years ago. The number of parts vary down to the smallest screw. I have taken the average low divided by the average high – 20,000 parts. Who manufactures these parts, and from where? In the world of today all is integrated worldwide.

Tell me all you Canadian flag waving Trump trashers, where were you when US “charitable” Foundations were funding the demise of west coast pipelines & western produced crude oil? This was all done through US Green Peace, Gerald Butts loaned from WWF, Tides, Rockafeller Foundation et al, all funding native groups & trees huggers plus BC Liberal & NDP Parties plus Vancouver politicians to go along with actively destroying the western Canadian oil production. Outright aided by this PM & his LPOC Party. Tanker ban. Gateway shut down Quebec on Energy East, & soon BC on KM. Since that deal with Kinder Morgan, how much pipe has been laid? None, but you gets your auto plants & milk cartel. Yaaaay, wave that flag in Trump’s face. Who needs oil eh, we got cars that burn it. Who cares about Alberta’s “dirty oil” eh? Or Saskatchewan? Buncha stubble jumper farmers, what do they know about milk cartels & cars? Hillbillies. Hicks. Bring back the CWB, that’ll set things right & the NEP too. Always whinin’. Diversify your economies ya hicks.

We’re just as Canadian as you are, azz wholes. That’s what we thought, anyways. Go ahead, sell us cars & cheese, I ain’t buying.

At one time, Ontario schools focused on teaching the skills that matter: reading, writing and math. This approach helped to prepare our kids for the challenges of work and life.

Today, however, more and more of our schools have been turned into feminist +LGBT laboratories and our kids into test subjects for whatever special interests and so-called experts that have captured Kathleen Wynne’s ear.

By ignoring parents and focusing on repulsive feminist agendas or force-feeding our kids obscene curricula like ‘Discovery Math on your teacher’s body parts’ the Liberals are leaving our children woefully unprepared to compete with other students from across Canada and around the world. And instead of helping our kids pass their tests, the NDP want to cancel the tests altogether.

It’s time to get back to basics, respect parents, and work with evangelists to ensure our kids have the skills they need to succeed.

“I will tell you what has carried me to the position I have reached. Our political problems appeared complicated. I, on the other hand … reduced them to the simplest terms. The masses realized this and followed me.”

Why would Canadians support trump even when it’s against their own self interest? It’s all about group identity.

It’s another win for their team trump – or more importantly another loss against team globalists – in this case embodied by mr nice hair T2. Chalking an emotional win for their ‘team’ is more important than rational self-interest. Not unique to trump supporters either.

For anyone with an hour to burn, this is an eye-opening discussion on the topic:

Canada followed a path relinquishing independence more than 200 years ago. Now you want the United States to do the same. Brexit, Trump, Poland, Hungary, Ontario election of Doug Ford. The deplorables, take away their vote you would, the aging, unemployed, bitter, fading, struggling…?

The Trump doctrine is America first. Trump traveled to Brussels and requested that all NATO allies fairly contribute to the collective defense of the alliance and bring their defense budgets to 2 percent of GDP as agreed when they signed on. Accused everyone, especially Canada, of freeloading off the security that America provides. The Liberals promptly promised to increase defense spending to 32 billion dollars per year, a record high for Canada. Then pushed the timeline for the spending so far down the road that it may never happen. We pull our aging jets out of Syria. We agree to buy the F35 fighter jet. Then the Liberals scrap that plan. But wait, we’ll buy some new F18’s from Boeing. Wait, cancel that, now we’re getting some used parts from Australia. Instead, we’ll have an open competition. and the planes we’re not buying from the US will be considered again, maybe, but much later, if Trump is still in power? Canada once had an impressive naval fleet which included an aircraft carrier. We could be reliably counted on to defend the northern approaches to the continent. Canada was once a strong and reliable ally. Not so much lately. The US is the world’s biggest arms manufacturer. It also faces increasing military challenges from China and Russia. This may be one of the reasons Canada is in Trump’s, and the Republicans, cross hairs at the moment.

Same playbook he’s been using for decades. Say outrageous things that throw people off their game. Appear oblivious to the outcome of such actions (either intentional or deliberate, it doesn’t matter). After they panic you offer the terms you wanted all along which they happily accept because you’re such a nutbar they don’t want to push their luck.

The scary thing is it works for the most part. For his part T2 and their gang have played the game well. Not over reacting to the bluster and staying focused on what we want, and not what Trump is trying to push them towards.

Obviously this is not a new approach to business, but this type of hardball has not been seen in diplomatic relations between “friendly” nations in 1900’s. Usually you save that type of rhetoric and bluster for your enemies. Trump’s perspective is that everyone is an opponent so it doesn’t matter.

Good points by Turner. But really people Trump is doing right by his people( so he thinks or dreams). Justin should have been doing right by his people and got Energy East happening and Northern Gateway. But nooooo pandered to the U.N. Elites and this global warming bullcrap. Oh well cars run on fossil fuels and now may well be unaffordable to the average Canadian. Thus planet saved. Trump may be an ass but the last time I looked Canadians can’t support him as they do not get to vote in the States. Here we are facing the wrath of the Donald while the French,Germans, Brits all slither away. Poor Justin. Poor Canada. Okay be pissed at America and Trump. But look in the mirror people the free ride may be over and no one in the world gives a darn.

Not the brightest bulbs in the parliament, but its time to give them national support for what they are standing for at the moment. The beast made one mistake because it has unified our nation against his belligerence and lies like never before into a sense of oneness. We must all take a stand for what is right for our country, and never back down out of principal.

If the auto tariff goes ahead; require visas from all Americans travelling to Canada. Require personal attendance at the Canadian Embassy in Washington to obtain a visa. We did it to Mexicans. We can do it to Americans.

“But for Canadians to support this guy (as evidenced in the comments section of this pathetic blog) is a revelation. They view the Donald not so much as trumpeting America, but rather championing the embattled, fading, struggling middle class full of aging dudes whose station in life is kaput,… That sounds eminently wise and cogent…alas it’s just bafflegab.

The Canadians beating their collective chests to support the commander in twit have no such lofty ideals. They’re just the usual grumpy ol’ gits unhappy with their nearly meaningless existences and getting their little bit of self pleasure by spewing rhetoric they think will gain them entry to some deplorable’s “club” of folks they never have and never will ever meet face to face. They just want to feel part of something that’s all over the news.

IMHO, Trudeau is way out of his league dealing with the Trumpster, and strategy isn’t his strong point. I think the next couple years will show a change in his tactics, and hopefully some results. We’ve all seen Trump turn on a dime. This is business JT, swallow your pride, stroke that ego and make the prosperity of Canadians your #1 priority.

And for crying out loud, PLEASE shut your pie hole with the climate change and feminism bs, Trump’s not interested. I repeat – Trump does not care, nor does he want to hear anymore garbage like this. Got it? Good.

Now Trump. I believe he really thinks he’s helping those who voted him in, but he’s not thinking about the costs. He’s more than old enough to recall how expensive things used to be, although he might be a little out of touch with the common man on that front. Globalism and technology have driven the costs of just about everything through the floor. A top end 23 hp Craftsman mower that costs about 3500.00 today would run 13,000.00+ if it were made 100% in the USA like they used to be almost 40 years ago.

I have the original window sticker for my daily driver. It cost $43,800.00 in 2003. The same model is still made today. The price? About $49,000.00. That’s not much of an increase for 15 years. At only 1.71% inflation, the vehicle should cost 57 grand, but it doesn’t.

In denying the US consumer the advantages of lower costs outside their borders, the new higher wages (if any) will be more than eaten by the equally new higher costs.

Trudeau and Trump are both losing sight of the goal posts, one in la-la land, the other in dreamland. I hope they get back to real life with us tax slaves real soon.

Trump is reaching out to Russia and North Korea, while calling Canada a backstabbing security risk. He lives in a made up world, and we are forced to be part of it.
********************************************

Hmmmm…

“Keep you friends close, and you enemies closer.” (from The Godfather – I think)

That’s it then, bring home Celine from Vegas, that’ll teach em!…….. The part that fries me is we paid 800,000,000 for a 3 day get together! How is that even possible? Looks like we may be needing that money soon for other things!

Over 100,000 good jobs were lost in the oil indusry and the federal government and the rest of Canada could barely manage a collective sigh. And eastern Canada continues to suck Albertans dry through transfer payment nonsense. And Canada continues to prevent Alberta from getting its product to tidewater to help this province’s economy.

So I should give a crap about auto workers in Ontario, and dairy farmers in Quebec because…..Oh yeah because we’re Canadians and were in it together?

Riiight.

Oil patch jobs disappeared when oil went from $147 to $27 on world markets. But with an attitude like that, you deserve a cold shoulder. – Garth

Today, in one day I figured I will have contributed approx $400-$500 to Revenue Canada in income taxes by shipping my products to the USA. Most of the raw materials are USA sourced.
After Trump was elected my business has had a straight growth line.
There were no Canadian purchasers.
Couple orders from Australia and UK.
Says everything.
Get real about the market in Canada.

#31 Dave on 06.12.18 at 5:46 pm
If a couple of auto plants shut down in either Canada or Mexico and move to USA, Trump will get elected a second term.
I do not believe he is bluffing, if high paying jobs come back regardless of inflation or other consequences, Trump will win again.
———-

Then it’s in the bag for Trump. Loads of auto jobs have already left of their own accord for the southern US (and Mexico) and other lower cost areas of the US. GM Oshawa is a ghost town compared to what it used to be. Trudeau paid GM and Chrysler to hang around, while Unifor failed in their bid for “guaranteed new production” (lol, …as if). I hear Honda is even poking around down south, and they’re not even unionized.

If Trump does it, they’re gone. All of them. 25%? Just say adios. That’s when we in Ontario find out that trickle down actually did work. I’ll be right in the line of fire too, competing with all these places that used to do auto work exclusively, and move in on our turf with panic mode on full blast.

Trump is the President of the USA, not Canada. so obviously he is self interested. Trudeau wanted to give millions to poor women in developing countries and the trumpster passed. Well of course, America First, but with Trudeau, I cant say that he has Canada best interest at heart. I dont think in the end Trudeau really cares about Canadians, I think that he thinks he has a worldwide agenda of where Canada should be, not where it is, which is a second rate, overtaxed, less opportunity country, cant borrow any money from any bank, cold weather, etc etc. In the end, America is for themselves as we all should be. I hope that most Canadians realize that they are being undermined by their own government, but for what that is the question. why are you paying why are you sacraficing, for whose benefit.
The dollar will be below 70 and if thats not a reason to simply go to america and make real money and pay less tax then what is. look after yourself, at least i would want a leader who has my best interest at heart. Who cares about all this twitter stuff, bla bla bla, in the end you come home and look after your family with more wealth and security. I cant say that in 20 years where Canada will be, but i know that Trump is turning out to be similar to Reagan, a leader . Trudeau is a kid, an amateur boxer and an amateur politician. The real sad part is that the conserative and NDP leaders are equally lightweights, Singh vs Trump or Sheer vs Trump, does it matter Canada is bush league.

I’ve been buying Brazilian built VWs for a long time. Trump’s attack on his own auto industry and his own companies, is not going to effect the prices of the cars I purchase.

It will effect Ontario’s GDP. But what’s the difference between putting cars in shipping containers, on ships, and doing the same on trains? We will just have to figure out deals for auto manufacturing with other countries.

We have no auto manufacturers anyway. All our plants are foreign owned.

Good luck to Donald as he trashes US auto companies. Maybe they’ll need another bail out.

“The dairy thing is just another Trump throwaway line and accounts for 0.2% of mutual trade. – Garth”
=====================================
Yet so many Canadians are crossing the border, in order to buy dairy and poultry products across the border…

I think Trump has it right on Trudeau and I could add a few more insults myself if I cared too. More importantly with regards to the FCA Windsor Assembly plant, the CAMI plant, the Toyota plant and Ford’s Oakville assembly plant, etc…etc………………….as soon as it becomes uneconomical to keep these plants running then they will ALL CLOSE! Every piece of salvageable working equipment with economic life left in them inside can be moved out within days! The empty steel shell and concrete pad can be left empty to rot or be torn down within months. These companies have billions to play with and they don’t care what they leave behind. All they care about is continuing to make their billions and it’s looking like going back to the U.S. is the path of least resistance going forward. Canada is now getting a lesson of what Yankee trader’s are really like. This is too much above Canada’s pay grade and she is out of her league with these deal makers.

RE: #64 Tom from Mississauga on 06.12.18 at 6:58 pm
“When they say trade war, they really do mean war…”

The USA doesn’t want to trade with us anymore. I don’t know why, but they don’t. They will erect tariff walls and force their industries to pull out of Canada. For some reason, they don’t like us and no longer wish to do business with us.

So as a country, we have to find new trading partners. Because our only land border is with the USA, we are going to end up similar to South Korea, that being, we need a pretty robust shipping industry. BC already has the makings of that.

That’s the reality of our situation. Biggest problem we face is probably that the only avenue to the Ocean on the East side of the country, is frozen for six months’ of the year.

Garth, I wrote this yesterday and today reading your analysis, you are spot on. My husband is a Consultant at the top levels of Enterprise Architecture in NA. He traveled full time for 6 months prior to May, now sudden stop, very strange times currently.

Glengarry Girl on 06.12.18 at 8:21 am
I am in total disbelief that my fellow Canadians are backing Donald Trump. He is a liar and a narcissist, he planned all along to separate himself from the G7. He will go forward to dismantle the trade agreements World wide. His actions will cause Canada many job losses and disruption, most likely our Auto and Steel Industry will be gutted. His planned actions will cause us great financial hardships. He exaggerated Trudeau’s statements in order to justify his actions. It’s his typical bully and grand standing behaviour in which he Tweets untruthful comments feeding his fan base. Now off to Korea to smile and shake hands with a Dictator mad man that has threatened repeatedly to nuke his enemies. His followers have turned off their logic and reason side of their brains, this is madness. The only way I can describe the Group behaviour it is as though they are routing for a Sports team, except this is for Real and our Global Economy is on the line. You Fools actually are cheering for our Economic decline as well as believing that Trump has diplomatic skills which have won over an Evil Dictator with his magical handshake….can’t even believe this Shit Show. Dennis Rodman and Kim Kardashian???? What’s next?

Nobody talks about the massive overhang of used cars on the market stateside and the potential mess this could make if the loan/credit bubble were to pop. Trump’s tariffs would not only prop up used car prices, but also support the trillions in loans.

Secondly, Canada had a lot more leverage when we had three pipelines in the works. This does not surprise me at all that Trump is going for the jugular just days after Kinder Morgan threw in the towel on the final last best hope. Its almost like we want to be America’s bitch or something.

The bottom end of society in Canada has healthcare, and lives in a civil police friendly environment relative to the USA. They get by with their beer and weed. Quite happy in most regions of Canada.

Meanwhile in the USA, the bottom end of the society has nothing but contempt from the upper end, what with private rape orgy prisons, no healthcare and very minimum wage levels. Not a hope in hell of treading water until death by old age.

Carrying a pitch fork to town hall ain’t gonna get no traction, when the problem lives in the Hamptons.

Voting for T-rump so the whole thing will level down to their level is the easy solution. Ole IHCTD9 has been telling us all year to vote for the stupidest party to sink the system to the reset level as fast as we can.

That is the vote T-rump explanation. Dissatisfaction, and no where to take the pitchforks to.

There was a book written in the 60’s by a guy that dyed himself brown to assimilate in Black America, and see how bad it was. Garth, for your next book, I suggest you go try living as a person with no back up support, and no money, no job, no credit and no credentials in a Red State. America is a pretty poor place to wake up broke and unwelcome. Everyone wants your money and wants you to have none.

So they vote T-rump when there is nothing left for them to lose, but every thing to lose for those that do have and benefit from the system that is well in their cronies control.

If Trudeau really, really, really wanted to win the next federal election, he would ride this wave of national support and show mature leadership and grit by;

1) toning down his SJW agenda /moderate his policies
2) immediately proceeding with TransMountain
3) lifting the tanker ban / getting Northern Gateway started
4) declare Energy East in the national interest and get it started
5) actively pursue export markets for our biggest export products
6) drop biz tax rates
7) allow foreigners to bank in Canada without residency

citing national need due to Trump’s intransigence on trade.

Immediate economic activity, raised Canadian pride and diversification of our trade would find much support as the country would see the necessity and intelligence in this strategy, bury their intercine battles and unite.

Unfortunately, for both him and Canada, he, his handlers and sycophants are too stupid to think like this, let alone enact it. He would be hailed as a visionary and a hero.

Oil patch jobs disappeared when oil went from $147 to $27 on world markets.

—————–
Absolutely correct.
And I am absolutely correct when I say that the rest of Canada basically shrugged its collective shoulders at the pain in Alberta.

Pipelines would help Alberta. But nope, no pipelines for you. Thanks BC, thanks Quebec for killing energy east. Thanks T2 for killing them all and driving investment out of the province.

Some federal or provincial support for the energy industryy would help.
But nope, you Albertans just produce dirty energy. And investment and jobs go elsewhere. We do have a carbon tax for you, and impossible regulations of you want to exploit your energy though.
Not for the car maunfacturers or Bombardier though. We love those guys right?

Canada used to be a country of cooperative regions.
Not any more. It is now a bunch of fiefdoms, only in it for themselves with the divider in chief running the show.

Fine. As I said, why should this region care what happens in the east, when that region has done nothing but put roadblocks in Alberta’s way to sell its energy to the world.

This is true regardless of whether the price of oil is $25 or $100 a barrel.

I think it’s possible the auto industry was eyeing up moving to the US anyway given the crazy tax policies of Canadian politicians. There is no carbon tax and there never will be in the states in the US that would receive the extra production, and corporate rates are a lot lower. Plus state governments will compete aggressively for those jobs as they have in the past. Slap a substantial tariff on Canadian made cars and it’s a slam dunk the production is moving to Alabama. It probably won’t take 2 years.

Americans are very serious about the jobs issue. Yes, they supposedly have a low unemployment rate but that is also because a very high number of people “not in the workforce”. Sure, many of them are in school but that is because student loans are their only option for buying food. Many of them took early retirement when they got laid off but it wasn’t because they wanted to. Any serious economist knows that the US can absorb many, many new jobs and the unemployment rate won’t fall much from here. The new workers are already there they just haven’t had a job in over a year. This is a serious problem.

American isn’t really a free market in the Adam Smith sense of the term. It is a series of semi-monopolies. That is why there are only 2 cell phone designs, Apple and Android (Google) Blackberry invented this market but they couldn’t hold it. That is why there are only 3 American auto makers. Certain industries are not open to competition like they would have been 100 years ago. Before Henry Ford swept the nation with the model T pretty much anyone who wanted to could open a car manufacturing plant, and they did. But mass production put an end to that. Probably for the best as the quality of the cars went way up and the price went way down, but it changed the game.

Americans also aren’t afraid to use a “beggar thy neighbor” approach to business. For example, as I have discussed before, one of the strongest opponents of the Trans-Mountain expansion is Washington State. Why? Because what fuels (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel) that don’t get to the Vancouver area via the existing Trans-Mountain pipeline comes from Washington via barge or truck. They aren’t really concerned about the environment, they are already shipping fuels by barge, it’s just a ruse to protect their market. Thus, if Alberta really wants a pipeline to the west coast, it’s going to have to go south to Montana and then west through Washington. And American interests will keep sending money north to the protesters to make sure there is no other way it can happen. They want a cut of that business.

It’s not that Americans are opposed to Canadians themselves. If you have a valuable skill they’ll happily give you a visa. But here’s the thing, the way they see it is that if you are working in the US, you should reside in the US and pay US taxes. So when they close the Canadian auto plants down, many of those workers will find ready jobs in Alabama or wherever the jobs go so long as they are ready to move with the equipment. It’ll be just like when the Avro Arrow program was shut down. The skilled workers all moved south and joined US companies, and Canada had to buy its fighter jets from the US. Not all of them went, but the engineers all did. It was a huge brain drain for Canada and a boost to the US.

The ideal scenario for the US would be for Canada to be merely a source of resources, with all value added activity being done in the US. And they’ll happily take some of the brightest Canadians on so long as you move to the US and pay US taxes. That’s what the plan is. More or less has been for a long time. And from their perspective, there isn’t any reason it should be any other way.

This is what Turdeau is up against, and I don’t think he is up to it. While he frets about whether the pipelines or trade agreements a gender friendly enough the Americans are going to pull down his shorts.

There is a long history to all of this. The CPR was originally built to combat all of the north-south lines that were springing up coming out of the US and thus diverting trade south. It was especially bad in BC, because it was easier to run a railroad up a valley than over a mountain.

I went out last week and bought a new car, with cash, against Garth’s opinion about leasing vehicles. Why? The channels are stuffed to the gills, nice wheels for cheap, nobody has cash; therefore, I acquired a 1-year old $34,000 ride for 12K CAD. People with no cash are paying the higher sticker price because the financing (monthly) is lower, like 0%. Typical debt serf Canadians moulded by the G6 Elites of the Western World.

If it wasn’t for Trump, we wouldn’t have inflation. Why is inflation good? Wages and interest rates to keep those who cannot afford anything in check from spending their brains out and if already spent, then punished for overspending when they have never saved a dollar in their life.

The Western elites are perfectly happy with the never able to reach 2% inflation bs, keeping rates low and inflating debt.

You have to be a fool to think that the past 10-years has served anybody well except home flippers as assets bubble up.

Recently i red that big 3 without in last 10-ish gov. subsidies would maybe brake even, most likely lose money on every new model/platform launched since.

At this point there is no that much extra capacity left to absorb all can made cars, but will be interesting what will future bring.

NUMMI/Tesla now we all see their struggles to get it going, it would be not much different for others if they have to start from “scratch” especialy down south where hard core supportes are.

I remember reading at one point toyota have to make training manuals in form of comic strip… i’ll leave it there. Truth is that information retention is better if accompanied by visual and verbal cues, but instead having to replace “cheat sheets” with comic streep type pictorial is bit much…

While i am beating this bush, 3 days later information retention after oral training 10%, after visual training 35% and retention of 65% after visual and oral presentation. I just don’t get this fixation on oral in all studies, maybe researchers were merrid man.

—
(from 2005)
There has been fierce competition among states hoping to attract a new Toyota assembly plant. Several Southern states reportedly offered financial incentives worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

But last month Toyota decided to put the new plant, which will produce RAV4 mini-S.U.V.’s, in Ontario. Explaining why it passed up financial incentives to choose a U.S. location, the company cited the quality of Ontario’s work force.

What made Toyota so sensitive to labor quality issues? Maybe we should discount remarks from the president of the Toronto-based Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, who claimed that the educational level in the Southern United States was so low that trainers for Japanese plants in Alabama had to use “pictorials” to teach some illiterate workers how to use high-tech equipment.

“No one is going to bring back this money to build an unneeded factory for the hell of it.”

======
…sounds familar?
President Zuma s.africa
fake news stories to promote corruption Mr. Zuma, waving, managed to thwart investigations into his taxes, his family’s affairs and his allies’ finances with the help of KPMG, former officials say

Gutted South Africa’s Tax Agency. Now the Nation Is Paying the Price – KPMG and Auditing firms
(11 Jun 2018)

…”He abruptly replaced Mr. Pillay with a loyalist who led a sweeping purge of the tax agency, setting off a blistering national scandal that is threatening South Africa in unexpected ways.

Wielding a barrage of fictitious news stories and doctored assertions by one of the world’s biggest auditing firms, KPMG, Mr. Zuma managed to thwart scrutiny into his own taxes, his family’s affairs and his allies’ finances, according Mr. Pillay and three other former senior tax officials who confirmed the account.

Then, the president and his supporters went even further. They used the upheaval at the tax agency to seize greater control over the National Treasury, further enriching themselves at enormous cost to the country, according to government officials now trying to repair the damage….

The more I watch Trump I think he is taking too many testosterone supplements. I just see an old dude with limited intelligence but can scare the monkeys into submission thanks to bullying. Trump is the type of guy I have seen too often succeed through a total lack of empathy. I will fight them and make sure they hurt before I die.

Donny wants NAFTA to die and has picked Trudeau as an easy target to bully to get his way into bilateral agreements. If Trump is considered an American hero, I am willing to break his nose and kick him in the balls to prove what a fraud he is or die trying. True friends are hard to get and enemies are forever.

#30 leebow
Intimidation is his tactic. What else could be expected? On the good side, in a week he probably won’t even remember what happened. He is quickly losing relevance, and the US are losing relevance along with him. Too bad.

Trudeau should start doing his homework and come to the meetings prepared. Knowing the balance of trade is kinda important when you go into a free trade agreement negotiation. Tripping on such facts is not acceptable for a PM.
……..
But it is acceptable for a President??

I am running about 100 icons on two screens. I have yet to read the Great Leader of the NDP in the written press grandstanding or spewing his remarks of support for all in Canada to read. He is hiding in his twitter account telling his base that he supports the Liberal agenda. Get it now!

If you have not been following, there are commitments on the table for some EU mfrs to locate in the USA.
The tax reform and the depreciation schedule allows mfrs to invest heavily into new equipment.

One thing people have totally ignored in these posts is that Canada SUCKS when it comes to productivity. Many of our domestic companies cannot afford to invest heavily into new equipment. The Trumpster gets it.

The other thing to remember is that the cost of many products did not increase not solely because of labor cost but increased productivity with assistance by automation technology. The USA was caught in a twilight zone of old equipment against new competitors with newer equipment and lower labor costs. Once they get the technology installed down south, and current tax and writeoff situation is made to make that happen. These deficits that they will incur is supposed to be a short term pain. They know if they don’t do something about growth they are in big doo doo. We’re also in big doo doo but we have not realized the gravity of what we have in 5 years. Old folks getting older and the costs will grow exponentially.
Canada needs to have tax reform to be competitive as well or we will slip into a bad ditch. We already have a problem when we have many holding Bernie Sanders policies and getting a substantial number of votes.
We need to encourage success not penalize it as the current government wants to.

When I talk to customers in the USA they encourage a successful company and cheer them on. In Canada, they only want to see how much more they can tax you. Very different attitude.

But you’d think that central Canada would want to shut down their CO2 producing auto industry. Because they’re the ones that voted for captain “save the planet” Trudeau. Maybe throw in Bombardier as well, ’cause you know, planes spew out CO2 like there’s no tomorrow. Shut it all down to save the world.

But no, it’s just Alberta’s oil producers that are the target of these ‘holier than thous’. No wonder Albertans don’t appreciate Ontario and Quebec and the sway they hold with politicians like Trudeau. More than a little hypocritical.

At least Trump appears to be trying to do what he thinks will be best for his country. I can’t say the same for T2, who has grand ambitions on the world stage, but not much else.

#99Brought to you by Garth, edited by Robert De Niro on 06.12.18 at 8:00 pm

How about some fact based reporting:

US unemployment = low.

Stock market performance = high.

Wage growth = growing.

Baby Castro negotiating = weak.

Canada = sickened by the debt flu.

BoC = led by mother nature.

Maybe Justin and Christine need to broaden their thinking and grab a piece of the N.Korean pie. Untapped market.

And some of the views there would make for some amazing condos. I noticed that on the T.V. coverage of those missiles or whatever it was they were launching into the sky – beautiful backdrop.

Let me just quickly remind all the pundits here on their very high horses

Labour cannot dictate policy. Employee’s cannot tell the employer how to run his shop. Canada Auto sector Employees.
Trump/USA the “employer” If they want to bring the work
back? NOTHING you can do. Maybe one thing.. play ball with the guy and thats exactly what will happen.

“They view the Donald not so much as trumpeting America, but rather championing the embattled, fading, struggling middle class ..”

‘Harry Truman once said, ‘There are 14 or 15 million Americans who have the resources to have representatives in Washington to protect their interests, and that the interests of the great mass of the other people – the 150 or 160 million – is the responsibility of the president of the United States, and I propose to fulfill it.’ JFK.

Times have changed. We no longer live in an elegant world. JFK certainly had his faults but he endures because his words were an inspiration to many.
Whatever redeeming qualities Trump might have they are being buried by his boorish, bullying antics. He’s like King Kong on the Empire State Building or Godzilla trampling the landscape. Not one elegant thing has come out of his mouth since he was elected.

The ship of fools is an allegory, originating from Book VI of Plato’s Republic, about a ship with a dysfunctional crew:

Imagine then a fleet or a ship in which there is a captain who is taller and stronger than any of the crew, but he is a little deaf and has a similar infirmity in sight, and his knowledge of navigation is not much better. The sailors are quarreling with one another about the steering -every one is of the opinion that he has a right to steer, though he has never learned the art of navigation and cannot tell who taught him or when he learned, and will further assert that it cannot be taught, and they are ready to cut in pieces any one who says the contrary. They throng about the captain, begging and praying him to commit the helm to them; and if at any time they do not prevail, but others are preferred to them, they kill the others or throw them overboard, and having first chained up the noble captain’s senses with drink or some narcotic drug, they mutiny and take possession of the ship and make free with the stores; thus, eating and drinking, they proceed on their voyage in such a manner as might be expected of them.

Him who is their partisan and cleverly aids them in their plot for getting the ship out of the captain’s hands into their own whether by force or persuasion, they compliment with the name of sailor, pilot, able seaman, and abuse the other sort of man, whom they call a good -for-nothing; but that the true pilot must pay attention to the year and seasons and sky and stars and winds, and whatever else belongs to his art, if he intends to be really qualified for the command of a ship, and that he must and will be the steerer, whether other people like or not–the possibility of this union of authority with the steerer’s art has never seriously entered into their thoughts or been made part of their calling. Now in vessels which are in a state of mutiny and by sailors who are mutineers, how will the true pilot be regarded? Will he not be called by them a prater, a star-gazer, a good-for-nothing?

This can be done in a variety of ways with a limited audience. The beast and his thugs make a statement with the great leader of the NDP Party saying, we cannot except that, using reverse psychology and rationalization, by explaining why its wrong. This in effect, is supporting the Liberal agenda indirectly.

I am no fan of steel tariffs but their is an appropriate time and place for our Prime Minister to complain about them. On television hours before a historic summit between Trump and Kim Jung un is not the right time to or venue to complain about steel tariffs. More proof that Justin is just not ready to be Prime Minister.

You are over wrought. First, this is a negotiation strategy, nothing more. Remember just a few months ago when Trump was ready to bury NK and now he has a new little friend. Second, T2 decided to get in a bar fight with his American counterpart when Trump’s actual target was Ms. Merkel, who really does have a troublesome tariff issue hurting exports from both the US and Canada. T2 should have joined hands with the big man, to take on the EU, but instead missed the clue. In short, teach your ski instructor/PM to form an alliance with the US, and everyone will be happier.

A more important point I would like to make here is this. Southwestern & Central Ontario is prospering. There is too much money and jobs and factories everywhere here! We have now gotten the Americans attention. They see the prosperity. They see the low lying fruit, 500,000+ jobs to take back home with them. America wants to harvest Ontario for all they can get. Add in an incompetent Prime Minister to poke the lion with and the pickings will be easy………almost handed to them. The seeds for the plan to hollow out Southwestern & Central Ontario have now begun.

1) Why is T2 opposed to the sunset clause?
2) Why is he opposed to an independent deal with the US that excludes Mexico?

The answer to these questions will help understand why the arguments posed in this post are a red herring, and who is really to blame.

Trump has nothing against Canada. What he doesn’t want is manufacturers shifting labour for parts to Asia, specifically China, and then using NAFTA to import them into the US by branded as Canadian and Mexican products. He wants to close this loophole to gain leverage with China. T2 understands this, but doesn’t want the gravy train to stop. He will lose this fight and take the Canadian auto industry down with him.

Next year our idiot PM will be gone. Donald Trump will be re-elected for another 4 years. Trump is doing what he has promised. Our idiot talks female empowerment bull,
spends billions for no-one knows what and gives away money to terrorists. He doesn’t deserve any support.
He is weak, meek and dishonest. Donald is correct.

The coverage on all of this is dishonest (at best?) and simple minded (at worst…). The national security issue is not directed at Canada… Canada is not the threat. Any marginally honest and marginally intelligent person should be able to figure that out. Clearly, if US steel producing capacity is decimated, as Canada acts as a conduit for dumped Chinese steel, then YES that IS a national security issue for the US.

Further, the scare mongering over autos is dishonest as well. Cars will not cost greatly more in both countries, nor will massive job losses occur in both countries. Canada and the US are so similar in cost structure that net losses will be minimal. That being said, yes Canada does stand to lose, precisely because our cost structure is uncompetitive… we are socialist, with higher taxes and social benefits, and now have a government sponsored credit bubble to boot, which further renders us uncompetitive on a cost of living basis.

To portray Trump as such a monster is, again, simply dishonest and simple minded. It is the standard Liberal and Democratic ploy… and it is back-firing. Not all Trump supporters are drooling neanderthals, while at this point most anti-Trumpers are coming across as raging ideologues and hypocrites.

A US President’s power is more limited than a Canadian PM. Something as disruptive as auto tariffs would cause such havoc it would cause a war in congress…won’t happen.

Perhaps a good time for looking at the decisions to kill all the pipeline deals that would give Canada other markets than the US? How about the general policy decision to de-industrialize Ontario…think Chevy trucks in Oshawa and Locomotives in London…and the list goes on and on… all because virtue signaling leftists hate evil corporations who build such things.

Better to have an economy based on selling condos to foreigners.

Trump can do a 180 in five min., he’s not as scary as someone with deeply held beliefs, like the NDP in a war on heavy industry. Like any good negotiator, you just need to figure him out, but Junior can’t do it and neither can any of the mindless leftists that populate the Lib/NDP wing of Canada’s “elite”. If you think that berating him over global warming and gender equity (at a cost of $800M) helps your case, then stay the course.

Canada could end up a big winner out of all this if it causes a re-alignment of thinking about industry and world markets for real things.

On the dairy front, take a look at New Zealand. It’s way past time to say NO to the few rich people who hold the dairy quotas that shouldn’t exist. Canada could make and export 10x the volume of dairy it does now.

“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups”. George Carlin

I know a few Canadian Trump supporters and in my experience, they are either of low education or love disrupters because of not being able to rise above their own miserable lives. They’ve got to blame someone and Trump does that for them. Surprised at how many spout the talking points from FOX news when they’ve hardly read a complete book or even a newspaper. They feel like they are on the ‘winning’ side of things every time that Trump craps his diaper. Most if all are racist, feel entitled simply because they won the lottery just by being born in a democratic country and constantly post anti-refugee memes with made up facts and rant about Sharia law being implemented and American gun rights..ffs.

It is called a negotiation. In this case T2 can give up the tariffs on dairy and move on. This will lower food costs for everyone Canada wide which is good thing for everyone but the 9000 corporate dairy farmers who are the top 0.1% in wealth already.

Or T2 can hold his ground and decimate the entire Canadian economy. You can only negotiate with the leverage you have. Right now T2 has none.

Even Little Kim figured it out. He had no leverage so he caved and he will give up his nukes. Make no mistake he will give them up. It will either be with Little Kim surviving or without him surviving.

T2 is in the same situation. In the end the dairy tariffs are coming off. Trump always wins. The only question is how much damage is done before they come off.

You don’t get it, do you? Trump couldn’t care less about dairy farmers. It’s a hook. You bit. – Garth

Our dairy system may help our farmers (which is a good thing) but most people don’t realize that our scientists, like the ones in Europe did not cave to the wishes of the U.S. We actually don’t have cows that are fed bovine growth hormone. They can keep their milk. We took their Monsanto seeds, coated with pesticides, but we kept our milk free of growth hormone to make the cows give more milk. Enough complaining.
Garth your post hit the spot! Go Justin! What Canada has done with trade negotiations is one of their best files.

1. They exaggerate their mandate to govern – claiming, for example, that they won an election by a “landslide” even after losing the popular vote. They criticize any finding that they or co-conspirators stole the election. And they repeatedly claim “massive voter fraud” in the absence of any evidence, in order to have an excuse to restrict voting by opponents in subsequent elections.

2. They turn the public against journalists or media outlets that criticize them, calling them “deceitful” and “scum,” and telling the public that the press is a “public enemy.” They hold few, if any, press conferences, and prefer to communicate with the public directly through mass rallies and unfiltered statements (or what we might now call “tweets”).

3. They repeatedly lie to the public, even when confronted with the facts. Repeated enough, these lies cause some of the public to doubt the truth, and to believe fictions that support the tyrants’ goals.

4. They blame economic stresses on immigrants or racial or religious minorities, and foment public bias or even violence against them. They threaten mass deportations, “registries” of religious minorities, and the banning of refugees.

5. They attack the motives of anyone who opposes them, including judges. They attribute acts of domestic violence to “enemies within,” and use such events as excuses to beef up internal security and limit civil liberties.

6. They appoint family members to high positions of authority. They ppoint their own personal security force rather than a security detail accountable to the public. And they put generals into top civilian posts.

7.They keep their personal finances secret, and draw no distinction between personal property and public property – profiteering from their public office.

A US President’s power is more limited than a Canadian PM.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s much worse than that. Could the Trump’s case be used to limit the presidential powers? If that gang from fantasies of Alex Jones exists, they couldn’t wish for more. When his closest advisors discuss how they’ll restrain him if he reaches for the world’s power button, how much worse can it be?

#111 Looney – The sunset clause discourages future investments into Canada because of the timeframe. A bilateral deal will not only put one against the other, but will destroy the elements in NAFTA that work well, such as the mechanism to retaliate unfair tariffs placed against Canada. NAFTA ain’t broke so why fix it? The reason for a bilateral agreement becomes a matter of USA control over us. Nevertheless, a few minor changes can be made if all agree together.

#73 AK on 06.12.18 at 7:09 pm
“The dairy thing is just another Trump throwaway line and accounts for 0.2% of mutual trade. – Garth”
=====================================
Yet so many Canadians are crossing the border, in order to buy dairy and poultry products across the border…

Fools. It’s not worth the gas. – Garth
………………….

It is worth it if you also fill up your tank while you are down there.

Why don’t the members of the TPP in collaboration with the EU just decide to put serious tariffs on all US imports and reduce them amongst each other for as long as this Trump administration is in office. There are surely products that consumers in those countries will miss, but the block is large enough that they will easily compensate for it with their combined manufacturing.
Cars? Europe, Japan and Korea make them pretty well.
Electronics? They all come from China anyway.
Aerospace, nuclear? Europe makes planes and other industrial tech. France and Japan are nuclear heavy weights
Pharma and medical? Germany makes medical equipment and there are European pharma to compensate for American ones.
Parts? German mid-sized companies are the world leaders.

Just decide to stop trading with the US, but do NOT become protectionist. Reduce barriers among the open economies. Let the natural consequences show which approach is better.

#82 Wrk.dover
There was a book written in the 60’s by a guy that dyed himself brown to assimilate in Black America, and see how bad it was. Garth, for your next book, I suggest you go try living as a person with no back up support, and no money, no job, no credit and no credentials in a Red State. America is a pretty poor place to wake up broke and unwelcome. Everyone wants your money and wants you to have none.
………………………….

The book was called Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. I read it back in the 60’s, an interesting book.

#102 the Jaguar on 06.12.18 at 8:11 pm
Note also that despite all his bluster and taking down of nations he dares not anger China who hold all those US dollars.
…………………………

In the case of dumping bonds, if China sold their bonds to other entities, they would promptly lose value, so China would find that the original ROI on their bonds would collapse, they would get a smaller return than expected, and perhaps even lose money on their bond investments.

In the case of “calling due” bonds (if the bonds have a clause allowing calls), this would mean the U.S. would have to pay the bond. This too would be bad for China. America would simply print more money, pay them off, and then China would be stuck with even more dollars to dump in trade with America.

111 Looney Baloney on 06.12.18 at 8:29 pm
1) Why is T2 opposed to the sunset clause?
2) Why is he opposed to an independent deal with the US that excludes Mexico?

————————————

You think T2 calls the shots? He is given instructions on what to do. Let’s face it , some hear are so blinded with hate that no matter when T2 does the complaining would be the same. Ex. You would complain why did T2 except the sunset clause? (If he excepted it). They you would cry he is not ready and more complaining. 100% you know it’s TRUE.

Trump stumps you Garth. And he stumps Justin. So the best we can do is stand shoulder to shoulder for Canada.

You are absolutely right in your analysis of the auto industry in Canada and the US; but what you don’t seem to get is scale. A realignment of the auto industry in North America would be a significant event for the US, for Canada it would be a catastrophe of Biblical proportions.

I don’t think it is going to happen because Trump is so easily distracted. Toss him a bone – say a 0% tariff on hormone free milk – and he’ll back off. Smart people, a group which excludes our current Prime Minister, his Minister of External Affairs and the PMO, would have figured out that one bone=1000 politically motivated retaliatory tariffs against soy sauce and felt pens (cute as those are).

Right now we do not need cute and we don’t need solidarity – we need Simon Reisman but he’s dead. A poor second choice is Brian Mulroney who is still vastly better than the dimwits we have in Ottawa.

Tough Montreal ex-labour lawyers do deals. We need a deal. I’m afraid gender equality and bogus carbon taxes will not be part of it.

The truth about Trump is, as Elihu Root said of Teddy Roosevelt, “He is an 11 year old boy.” Sending in our 8 year old was not so clever. Time for adults to intervene before someone loses an eye or an automobile industry.

#121 BS – KIM is well educated, and he never caved in as your suggesting. The other mistake the beast made which KIM was advised upon by his handlers without a doubt was thus. He could see how the beast’s friends were being treated, and what would happen to his enemies? In other words the beast could never be trusted. KIM is no fool in my opinion.

Alot of you dummies cheering Trump dont understand the reality of what it will do to the Canadian economy. Some of you think it may not effect you. If that’s the case you are a lost cause. I stand with Canada and the prime minister. That’s exactly what all parties are doing Con or not.

Dude dont even try to reason with this audience. Blog dogs will bloviate about lost jobs to tariffs but wont even consider the amount of lost jobs to illegal immigrants. BTW there are multiple studies done by big financial firms (like Garths) that put the number of illegals closer to 50M based on public infrastructure usage like highways, schools & hospitals. But for whatever reason this topic is taboo here, much like everywhere else.

#82 Wrk.dover on 06.12.18 at 7:24 pm
—————————————-
Health care? Ha. Just banged up my knee playing football. 6 month wait for an MRI. Ok, go private and pay $800 for one. Back to doctor and he says surgery MAYBE in november, thats a joke. Why not have a look at the different crime rates & debt levels between red & blue states… you seriously couldn’t be more wrong. Frankly I think all politicians are evil pieces of garbage, but the Democrats are nothing but a blur of chaos that screw up EVERYWHERE they are in charge.

#117 Lady Jane on 06.12.18 at 8:44 pm
——————————————–
Wow you seem like a treat. I think you checked off all the foolish left wing talking points. Why don’t I just call you a bleeding heart, math illiterate, jane austin reading, gender confused overweight femi-nazi and call it a day? Good grief woman, take a cold shower.

Garth is correct that Trump is harping on JT a bit much, and this coming from a Canadian fan of Trump. Makes me think JT did something really nasty behind the scenes. You Don’t have to like President Trump, but I have no doubt he is working for the US Interest; I can’t say the same for JT.

#129 FOUR FINGERS WATSON on 06.12.18 at 9:18 pm
#73 AK on 06.12.18 at 7:09 pm
“The dairy thing is just another Trump throwaway line and accounts for 0.2% of mutual trade. – Garth”
=====================================
Yet so many Canadians are crossing the border, in order to buy dairy and poultry products across the border…

Fools. It’s not worth the gas. – Garth
………………….

It is worth it if you also fill up your tank while you are down there.

And your time is worthless. Fools. –

———————————

Not everybody is reimbursed for their time on the level of Marie Antoinette, Garth. A third of a tank of gas for free and 4 for 1 cheese and milk, all on the same day is bigger than a once yearly Christmas bonus for most!

Plus One from me on your comments tonight. I was struggling in wanting to post but realizing I may go over the top and get slapped for it. You two have said it best for me and I’ll leave it at that for now.

While Trudeau fights for women to have jobs they don’t even want, Trump is fighting for the American salt of the earth, blue collar worker who’s livelihoods have been sold out by out of touch globalist politicians for the last two and a half decades. I can’t deny that I respect that. Those massive job numbers make a pretty strong case that Canada has been benefiting bigly by the 1965 auto pact. Can we really say the same about the US? Just how many decades does is considered enough before a deal should be revisited anyway?

But don’t despair Garth, this is just the first phase of Trump’s art of the deal. He’s going to shock us into believing he’ll destroy our auto sector and our economy with it – and we’ll find ourselves grateful to have the opportunity just to renegotiate a similar deal with a few more carrots for his side. Heck Trudeau might even score a win for himself by getting more gender parity in the new auto pact.

Canadians need to understand that Scheer does not believe in freedom. The leadership was stolen from Bernier due to the dairy industry. Canadians are being screwed on diary prices just so we can protect a special interest in the dairy farmers. It makes no difference how small a % of trade it is. It’s wrong.

The biggest amusement is all us blog dogs wasting their evenings raging about Trump this and Trump that.
Guess what? You can’t do anything about it…you are CANADIAN. You have NO vote in the USA.
If you want things to change here in CANADA start by a long look in the mirror.
Get involved, volunteer, participate in community groups, build relationships with your neighbours, work out more, pollute less, learn more, vote with your brain, not your heart.
There’s more to life than money and real estate.

Not sure if this as been posted here already…but BC NDP MLA Leonard Krog will make an announcement soon on his political future. Rumour is he will run for mayor in Nanaimo this fall 2018 and this could result in a byelection.

If Liberals win…this would deadlock the legislature , leaving the Speaker as the tie breaker.

We may be running out yelling fire when the house is not actually on fire.

True Trump is a bully, narcissist, and all the other things people are saying about him. But we may all be missing what he’s saying by how he’s saying it.

I doubt he wants to create an environment of job loses. He’s a business person who loves being a success and a measure of that success will be jobs.

His tactics are obvious and consistent. Say something over the top, get everybody worried then ratchet back and negotiate with the other guy who now fears you. It’s not nice but so far it’s working for him. Proof of this is how people are reacting to his threat of ditching NAFTA. Canada, he knows, will continue to trade with the US and nobody wants a weak trading partner. He’ll bully, push and threaten ’till he gets the best deal for the US. In the end it will not be what it’s always been but it will be ok with the US having the upper hand. It’s a small price for Canadians to pay to a nation that has kept us from speaking Russian since the 50’s.

I learned today that in London Ontario we make US tanks each worth $15m. If we keep enough of them and cut the Hydro from Quebec to the US eastern seaboard every night for 2 hours we may create enough mayhem to have Donald say uncle. JK of course, let’s hope the giant doesn’t roll over in it’s sleep.

I did a lot of research on KIM, as his past involved using a fake name and passport for security reasons. He attended a private English language school in Switzerland as a youth verified by other students and his teacher. Then returned home for two university degrees. On June 12th when he first met the beast said the following “Nice to meet you Mr. President”, and all discussions henceforth used an interpreter. He was in Switzerland from elementary through to high school. His entourage had a wonderful all expenses paid vacation at the best restaurants, seeing the sights, lots of shopping, and flying home on China Air.

#148 Bark on 06.12.18 at 10:12 pm
While Trudeau fights for women to have jobs they don’t even want, Trump is fighting for the American salt of the earth, blue collar worker who’s livelihoods have been sold out by out of touch globalist politicians for the last two and a half decades.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Jeebus, it wasn’t the ‘globalists’, deepstate or dems or some other nebulous group that did so, rather a more domestic one. USA corps and consumers in search of ever lower end price.

GE, GM, Ford, Whirlpool, Carrier to name a few all have been moving south of the border for decades. If it was feasible all your autos would be shipped via containers from china as the wallymart does.

Lockheed and Boeing would be on the same path if it wasn’t for the massive incentive and blank cheques courtesy of uncle sam.

Let’s be real here, manual assembly labour is becoming more and more worthless. Hence that way of life domestically is becoming such a dream of the past.

Received my RBC MasterCard statement today, which I always pay in full. The notation at the bottom stated – Credit card convenience and balance transfer cheques (“credit card cheques”) from RBC Royal Bank credit card accounts will no longer be accepted as a payment option by us as of August 31,2018.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Please call us at 1-800-769-2512 or visit us in branch and we would be pleased to assist you in making other arrangements to pay from your credit card account.

I heard the mortgage business is down at the banks so not sure what they’re trying to do in these cases.

One group called “Vancouver Real Estate Investors” posted a listing for an apartment building at 8860 Montcalm in Vancouver that they just listed for $9.24m I looked at the assessment and it sold for $7.8m 4 months ago.

#39 FORD NATION on 06.12.18 at 6:10 pm
At one time, Ontario schools focused on teaching the skills that matter: reading, writing and math. This approach helped to prepare our kids for the challenges of work and life.

Today, however, more and more of our schools have been turned into feminist +LGBT laboratories and our kids into test subjects for whatever special interests and so-called experts that have captured Kathleen Wynne’s ear.

By ignoring parents and focusing on repulsive feminist agendas or force-feeding our kids obscene curricula like ‘Discovery Math on your teacher’s body parts’ the Liberals are leaving our children woefully unprepared to compete with other students from across Canada and around the world. And instead of helping our kids pass their tests, the NDP want to cancel the tests altogether.

It’s time to get back to basics, respect parents, and work with evangelists to ensure our kids have the skills they need to succeed.
____________________________________________

This is a joke… Right?

God forbid that we acknowledge that a kid might have two moms… or that consent is required before sexual activity….. ooooooooh scarrry agenda.

The Growth and Development curriculum is vanilla. You evangelicals need to actually do some homework and read it.

#73 AK on 06.12.18 at 7:09 pm
“The dairy thing is just another Trump throwaway line and accounts for 0.2% of mutual trade. – Garth”
=====================================
Yet so many Canadians are crossing the border, in order to buy dairy and poultry products across the border…

Fools. It’s not worth the gas. – Garth

—

Funny, every so often MacD fave free coffee, when coffee is free drive through is packed with people like me wating for free coffee.

One day I put numbers on paper, based on my average wating in l line and gas usage while car idles time with my in haven now civic, numbers showed me that I was spending almost exact amount on a gas for car to idle what price of coffee would be….

A lot of venom today in both Trump directions, well 3 directions if you count the Schadenfreude Albertans (not that I blame them).

Minutiae.

Polishing the portholes on a sinking ship.

Trust Fund Pretty Boi shoots his mouth off actually believing he is intelligent and tough (has gotten out of hand even for his Nanny Liberal Elite handlers…you know it’s gotten out of hand when the Conservatives seek to Mother you…including a famous one that authors this Blog).

Pretty Boi got his nose bit off.

2016 GDP $US:

Canada = 1.5 trillion
USA = 18.6 trillion

Canada = Hewers and Drawers for the Americans, save perhaps auto.

Save the bluster and indignation.

Eat American humble pie and make amends for the sake of working Canadians and their families (i.e., their economic well being).

@WUL, Post #145:
95 million Americans permanently sidelined from the work force you say? Did it ever occur to you that such a high number probably includes children and elderly retired people? I you recalculate and conveniently remove them from the picture then of course the number of “sidelined” people will decrease. As for unemployed people in the USA, that number will increase if a trade war goes on with tariffs on various products and services. That’s sure to go over well with Trump supporters.

Oh Canada ………. America’s pretty hat. You still have not figured it our. Good to know. Globalism is dead, long live Nationalism. You guys had better dust off your diplomatic and business skills ……… the free lunch is over.

“If a nation of millions can have a collective character, then it is true what is said about Canadians. We are a stoic, rule-abiding and polite people. We are also smug, passive-aggressive and proud. If you like your maple syrup laced with piss, we will deliver cans of the stuff, painted with quaint winter scenes and sold at a mark-up with a smile.”

The US tried to choke to death economically, politically, the former Communist countries, with all imaginable sanctions, technology embargo. The USSR was a real lethal nuclear power. Yet, not even in the most propaganda-driven party papers were any US president addressed with such vicious, constant hatred what Trump is exposed to by anybody with a social media account, or anonymously. Overwhelmingly in the Western world.

Why, one wonders.

I wouldn’t have bet any money on his run for the Presidency, yet he managed to win the most contested political job in the world, with much less budget than his sure-winner, globally supported final opponent.

Some people thought and said that he was an idiot. They also thought that he would never survive more than a few months in the office. He did. The economy didn’t collapse, the market didn’t crash as most expert predicted. At the end of his first year in the office just the opposite happened. Some people still think and say that he is an idiot. What are really the odds that an idiot can do that? Against the entire sophisticated, connected, well-founded political establishment, supported only by supposedly similarly idiot deplorables, who have no economic power, intellectual capacity, billionaire supported NGOs, lobbyists?

Why, one wonders.

Let me propose, that because globalism lost it – before Trump was elected, here is how:

Middle-class, as Garth describes it: “embattled, fading, struggling middle class full of aging dudes whose station in life is kaput.”

Globalism has failed to prove that prosperous Capitalism can exists without strong, well-off middle-class.

Globalism has failed to prove that meaningful, stable democracy can exist without strong middle-class.

Globalism has failed to prove that it creates better, more prosperous economy.

If it did, middle-class wouldn’t have been decimated in Western economies.

The cheaper prices, which is the main argument to justify globalism for the masses, is mostly due to rapid advancement and deployment in technology. This is also the main driving force behind the increasing access to consumer goods around the world.

Globalism, free-trade may like to take full credit for it, but it is not the creator of accelerated technology.

Globalism economically is the merger of the state and multinational corporate power, politically increasingly anti-democratic, ideologically heavily promotes identity politics to split the population into various groups, to fight against each other. Globalism exploited technology to create total loss of privacy, surveillance state.

Globalism created a global liquidity crises out of US mortgages, crippling countries all over the world, forcing lower interest rates than any time in the past 5000 years, to avoid financial catastrophe.

While “saving the world”, globalism created unprecedented distortion of market (real estate in Canada and other “global” centers) and private, public debt at such scale that noone knows how to handle, because it never existed before.

Globalism with no middle-class created a hysterical political environment unknown in modern Western democracy, ready to burst into civil war on ideological basis.

Globalism in practice turned out to be just an other form of tribalism that it was supposed to eliminate, based across countries, similarly how the former Communist globalist idea of “internationalism” existed.

Not sure if this as been posted here already…but BC NDP MLA Leonard Krog will make an announcement soon on his political future. Rumour is he will run for mayor in Nanaimo this fall 2018 and this could result in a byelection.

If Liberals win…this would deadlock the legislature , leaving the Speaker as the tie breaker.

Stay Tuned !
…….
You fail to mention that this is a very safe seat for the NDP. It was taken by the Socreds way back in 1969 and then by the “Lieberals” in 2001 when the NDP was annihilated in the province, but the NDP has won every other election quite handily. Don’t get your hopes up too much!

#129 FOUR FINGERS WATSON on 06.12.18 at 9:18 pm
#73 AK on 06.12.18 at 7:09 pm
“The dairy thing is just another Trump throwaway line and accounts for 0.2% of mutual trade. – Garth”
=====================================
Yet so many Canadians are crossing the border, in order to buy dairy and poultry products across the border…

Fools. It’s not worth the gas. – Garth
………………….

It is worth it if you also fill up your tank while you are down there.

And your time is worthless. Fools. – Garth
————-
Another great retort, Garth.
So many fools brave 2 hour line-ups and about 30 minute drives, just to save a few bucks on gas.
What is adage about fools and their money?

You can be critical of T2/Libs/Lefties in general without praising the Trump a**hole in his desire to inflict damage on Canada, while being the most obnoxious US President in history. Trumpf is willing to destroy the entire post-WW2 western world (which the US setup) for his ego & to say he brought back a few more jobs. There is more to leading a country than that, but it will take some time to see.

All this talk of counter-tariffs is misdirected. Think about it. What narcissistic leader ever cares about the people he rules? Not one. They only care about one thing – their own egos. How does Canada get Trump’s attention? Hit him where it hurts. In his own pocketbook. Think about it. Trump refused to divest himself of his holdings when he became president. That action, or lack thereof, makes his financial empire fair game to the world. Some regimes may use it to their advantage by directly enriching the Trump empire. Whether it be increased traffic by emissaries of other countries at his hotels, increased memberships at his golf resorts or endorsing Ivanka’s trademarks in foreign countries to get access to American markets (ZTE) they all have the same effect.
Canada, on the other hand, could use this opportunity to their advantage by striking Trump entities that operate in our jurisdiction. Forget hurting the American people. He don’t care. Hit him the only place he’ll really feel the sting. In his personal pocketbook.

Scott Gilmore has written a couple of articles in recent MacLeans editions extolling exactly this stance. Read his take on it here:

Funny thing is that if we had a Prime Minister repatriating companies and jobs, raising wages and lower unemployment,driving hard bargains and negotiating deals for the benifit of Canadian people in Canada, he would keep getting voted in.He would be seen as the second coming of the Messiah!
What does our guy do,gives away money that our homeless and undereducated girls could desperately use.I guess the best bet is for our own citizens to immigrate to those less fortunate countries where we are sending our money for a better life.
Just look at how our soldiers are treated versus the people who they were in combat against,better benifits being on the other side!

I really, really dislike Trudeau and his policies. But I have to agree, at this point, anyone who is siding with Donald Trump over what amounts to an attack on Canada, is truly a traitor in every sense of the word.

word out late tonight that Andrew Scheer tossed Maxine Bernier out of his shadow cabinet, for articulating his Libertarian-leaning views. That and publishing a screed on his website that Scheer ran away with the Conservative leadership based on the Dairy lobby.

Looks like you may get your wish soon enough.

Funny though, as much as Iultra conservatives like to slander Liberal as ‘Libtards’ and such, the word ‘LIBerTARian’ is actually a lot closer to the mark, don’t you think?

Yeah let’s invade them with our inclusive, gender neutral, everyone gets a medal army. We’ll only be passing through the three states with the highest gun ownership rates per capita, but I’m sure they’ll see how much we respect trans rights and just let us march through. Lmao kids these days.

So let me get this straight… Garth is mad at Trump because Canada might lose an industry where more than half the parts come from the states to be assembled so that most of it can be shipped back to the states for sale??

NAFTA is dead and there will be a bi-lateral agreement after Trump embarrasses our pathetic Prime Minister and makes him squirm a little more. Trump needed to make an example of someone and when Trudeau decided to be a smartass, he got picked.

Trump might be a blowhard and have a fragile ego but the bottom line is that he carries the biggest stick because he leads a country of people who are impatient consumers who everything now. Europeans aren’t like that, the Chinese aren’t like that but North Americans are like that.

Garth,
Whatever we all think of the Trumpster. Can you honestly say we will look at politicians the same again. We have been lied to for years, that’s politics. You where in the game. I’m all for young girls getting education in developing world. Is that not a UN mandate? But 3.5 Billion and we have a chronic homeless and addiction problem in Canada. But JT looks great in his coloured socks and sticky eyebrows.

Too many unscientific Canadians want to stop making cars, stop drilling for oil and gas, and pretend that they are saving the planet by just sitting around stoned on weed and wondering what gender they are. They should be very happy to let The Donald have the steel and car and oil and gas industries.

#142 Lmao, I must have hit a nerve. Your misongystic little tantrum sounds like a cry for help. Maybe mommy should have breast fed you longer. Your feedback to the two other posters you cited just makes my point about typical Trumpers. Now take a cold shower it will be good for that knee injury or better yet, get Trump to kiss it all better.

You were swooning pretty hard for Trump when he was increasing equity values, Garth. Are we supposed to believe your sudden hatred of the man is due to a newfound concern for the working chump instead of the fears that the stock market will go down? I know you love to wave the Canadian flag, but you’ve made it very clear over many years that to you Canada is the TSX not the guy building Chryslers down in Brampton.

Btw, if Trump goosing economic activity is proof of imminent rate increases, does that mean that Trump causing economic slowdown (which I agree will happen as deglobalization begins) leads to rate decreases? Or does it only go one way, because it ruins the narrative otherwise? Care to make a prediction on interest rates?

The ugly truth is that Trump is supported because of racism. It’s an ugly truth that people want to avert their eyes from and talk about economics and people left behind. But his staunchest support is not people struggling to get by but from white middle-upper middle class people.

#147 Fake News Again on 06.12.18 at 10:11 pm
“Two words for all you Trump haters……. BUTT HURT.”

Did you not read Garth’s blog yesterday and today, you genius baby? Go back and read them again until their meaning can penetrate your puny little brain! Garth is one of those Trump haters, you ‘knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, alt-right’ effing moron!

Why do you comment on this blog? Garth does not support—repeat, does not support—your position! Get it? No? I give up! You’re as dumb as a brick!

Joe Biden ?
Go inform yourself before embarrassing yourself.
Look him u on YouTube or Google him.
His “handling” of young girls and women. He makes Bill Clinton look like a priest.
His threats to physically fight with Trump.
Putting his son on the board of directors of a Ukraine gas company while raising heck in Congress to shut the Russian supply out and promote said company.
He is a despicable, immoral cretin.

You SJW types can’t see beyond the tip of your nose and uncritically repeat the marxist fantasy crap that you are fed.

No wonder Canadians find themselves in the socioeconomic predicament they are in.

Absolutely agree. I’m so disappointed with Trump as well as T2. As for Kudlow and Navarro…….fuel to the fire.

Canada and the US are more than neighbours. We’re friends, allies and we share far more than economic activity. Despite what’s hit msm lately, we have each other’s backs.

Shame T2 is not as measured and diplomatically accomplished as Minister Freeland, who has been doing a tremendous job for Canada. Her stamina and commitment are praise worthy. She knows when and how to speak. Unfortunately, her job just got harder.

It’s fact that Trump likes to be acknowledged and stroked. It just is. T2 just had to indulge with tough talk, stating what had already been stated previously when Trump had been present. In the same space. To his face. Minutes after boarding Air Force One, Trump catches T2’s horribly mistimed tit-for-tat.

Would it have been so damned hard for the PM to close off the G7 with neutral commentary, fix his eyebrows and then enjoy a few glasses of cheer with his remaining guests?

I stand 100% behind this great country, but at that particular point in time, we deserved far better performance.

#88 Garth Endorses the Don on 06.12.18 at 7:35 pm
Buy a car now and grab some popcorn.

I went out last week and bought a new car, with cash, against Garth’s opinion about leasing vehicles. Why? The channels are stuffed to the gills, nice wheels for cheap, nobody has cash; therefore, I acquired a 1-year old $34,000 ride for 12K CAD. People with no cash are paying the higher sticker price because the financing (monthly) is lower, like 0%. Typical debt serf Canadians moulded by the G6 Elites of the Western World.
—————————————————————-
I call bullsh*t. Only way a car depreciates that much from sticker in a year is if it was sold with a massive incentive, and has a ridiculous level of mileage.

#86 Ab Boxster #87 Nonplused #182 Roger Gladstone The best comments and bang on. And as far as Trump he is an ass. Get mad all you want at him but this was forewarned and there was no back up plan. And as far as a car costing an American 6500 dollars more? Meaningless. No one buys a house anymore,just buys a payment. Same with cars. Looks like Trump is kicking Justin square in his mangina by targeting dairy and autos. All we will have left to sell is those dirty TARSANDS. Poor Justin. Where are his friends now? Macron? Merkel? May? Abe? What a patsy.

Mike Holmes isn’t a gift to them, more like a curse. I come from a construction background, have many friends working construction and while Mikey is good at some things, he’s not all that. I’ve seen him do just as shotty of work as he constantly rants about when running down other contractors. The guys is so high on himself, he doesn’t think he’s got anything to learn. I bet he’d get along really good with Trump, they’re 2 pea’s in a pod, birds of a feather, BFF’s

#150 NoOneOfConsequence on 06.12.18 at 10:28 pm
Get involved, volunteer, participate in community groups, build relationships with your neighbours, work out more, pollute less, learn more, vote with your brain, not your heart.
There’s more to life than money and real estate.
_____________
I’d heard for years that you get back more than you give when you help people. Now that I’m a bit older and wiser and have the time to help the local home league baseball team I realize it is true. Listening to a kid talk about school for 5 minutes before the game is so amazing because you realize it might have been weeks since someone actually asked “how’s it going?” and stopped to listen. He just wants someone to listen. To care.

JT is the TRAITOR, just like his father before him. This family of rats sold Canada’s sovereignty out to foreign bankers 40 years ago. And now we’ve become so brainwashed as a people that we bash nationalism? We would be lucky to have a man like Trump as our leader… Imagine “Canada FIRST”. You people make me sick.

In case you didn’t get the memo because you watch CNN, here’s what’s happening: The marxist globalists are losing their grip on power worldwide as the liberal world order collapses before our eyes. It’s a glorious time.

Jamie Forese, the president of Citi and chief executive of the bank’s … Robots could replace as many as 10,000 human jobs at the American banking giant .

and this article is from 1998
TECHNOLOGY; Citibank Sets New On-Line Bank System – The New …https://www.nytimes.com/1998/…/technology-citibank-sets-new-on-line-bank-system.ht…
Oct 5, 1998 – Citibank will create new retail banking and investment service on Internet; … Citibank will replace core back-office computer systems that it built and … called Citigroup, will start out with 100 million customers in United States
INNOVATIVE REPORTING
Certificaciones sustainable palm oil…i guess it matters who one talks to

the public irrigation system diverted to serve a large palm oil company
News drones reveal big companies are draining local water supplies in Peru, Colombia

In the parched Peruvian province of Ica, where a state of water emergency has been in effect since 2005, an unlikely business is booming: the cultivation of asparagus for export.

The flourishing green stalks in the middle of the desert raised the suspicions of Fabiola Torres, a journalist and a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

She suspected big Peruvian agriculture companies were violating the province’s rules for water usage and earning millions of dollars exporting Peru’s prized asparagus by depleting scarce water supplies for local families and smaller farmers.

People in glass houses should throw stones…..lets do it for the prosperity of Canada and all Canadians! Need to ensure all of our guns are pointing outside the boat!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Almost fully agree with your list Roger (except the idea that nuclear power is low cost). However, this is modern Canada. About 60% of the population (who consistently vote Lib or NDP, or similar parties) are against those items. Hell, even the Supreme Court is against the 1st one.

It is a good list. I used to think that, someday, we might get a federal government in power that would really push on items (like these) and try to build Canada into a stronger country that could be less dependent on the US.

12 years ago I though the Harper gov’t might be the one to do it. However, the first 2 minority gov’ts handicapped them, and by the time they got a majority, it seemed like the party was so spent/cynical/inward looking that they didn’t seem interested.

No current federal leader has much interest in moving on those items (although for some they want to be *seen* to be trying…).

Oh man.. for all of your America Jr.’s (That’s you Trump/Ford fans)… he don’t give a toss abooot Canada, Hosers. NONE. You aren’t Americans, Hosers. You’re the kinder, gentler, dumber version of your American specimen. And furthermore, in a neighborhood (Humber Valley) where there are MANY, MANY stars.. you guys voted in the Trustafarian who is killing his dad’s company (he was a hard worker). As in the 2nd generation wealth destroyer to run your finances? As you guys try to figure out what do now that you can’t sell houses to each other forever more. And the auto industry now? Yikes. Figures that you would hire a former ‘car based business’ neighborhood hustler to run the province just as it is legalizing Mary Jane. 45 had to cheat to win the the US.. you guys voted this guy in fair and square. Hard to imagine a better example of stupid these days.

The USA dairy farmers produce an over supply of milk year after year with nobody to buy it. The solution is simply to dump it down a hole somewhere. One year 43 million gallons were dumped. Perhaps they need a better supply management system like in Canada. Now you should read about cheese, and the outrageous farmer subsidy programs in USA costing the taxpayers $Billions year after year. I laugh at those in Canada who are fretting over the cost of eggs, milk, or cheese as if its the end of the world.

ICIJ and its media partners found that FIFA’s ethics head Juan Pedro Damiani and his law firm had done work for offshore companies linked to Eugenio Figueredo, a former FIFA vice president who has been charged by U.S. authorities with wire fraud and money laundering, as well as to Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, a father-son team of businessmen accused of offering bribes to gain broadcast rights to FIFA events in Latin America.

Zihlman had testified before the European Parliament that “90 percent of Swiss lawyers” used the loophole that they were not required to do due diligence when incorporating companies with the now-closed Panamanian law Mossack Fonseca, whose files provided basis for the Panama Papers investigation.

The changes proposed by the Swiss government also include requiring those involved in setting up companies to verify who actually owns them and to regularly check that client information is up to date. Still another proposal is to require associations, especially those “mainly involved in collecting or distributing assets abroad” to be listed in the commercial registry. icij

======
swimming naked
fraud was discovered in Italy while the group was blindsided by a downturn in corporate and public sector markets, leading to a major profit warning in early 2017.

“In a Bud Light-infused moment, it’s possible to see how an under-employed, bitter factory worker in Cleveland, Flint or Gary would support Donald J. Trump, New York billionaire”

They are angry…loss of station, working at a Steel Mill is “man’s work” …. They need status in their peer group hierarchy, not much else matters……they get angry, it is why people vote for change the NDP, The Donald, the Nazis, and Hugo Chavez.

If your house is already burning down around you, there isn’t much downside to trying to extinguish the blaze with a swimming pools worth of gasoline. It might be enough to deprive the fire of oxygen, or it might just explode, but the house is already toast. Practically, an explosion won’t make the house any worse off, so there’s no real downside to trying out the gasoline idea.

Bernie Sanders lost to the establishment machine…there was nowhere else for them to go but Donald…the status quo (Hillary) meant a continual loss of status in the hierarchy society. (Leading to addiction, depression, family breakdown)

The beast blew it again as lied to China because one needs to understand the Chinese way of thinking or all will be lost. China extended an olive branch to USA in a firm commitment to purchase $80 billion in food products. The beast said not good enough, and is going to impose tariffs against China soon. Canada could easily make a deal with China only if they knew how, as the right person could pull it off. The major thing to remember is never place China in a position to loose face.

he needs to set up some gulags to lock up dissidents and look at ways to help starve everyone, take away passports, get some big military parades with clapping seals..shut down the internet.. all to show how much he loves his people..that the people love him back with fervor… that he’s just a good funny talented guy.. maybe whack off a few MPs and relatives to show he knows how to run it tough

then maybe Commander Bone Spurs Cheetos will be honored to remove T2 from that special place in hell.

Well if anything this might wake up Canadians to be much more aware of their own country.
Trade is much better with foreigners than the inter-provincial BS we put up with.
Almost all large industries are foreign owned including the Canadian National Railway.
Our major export is oil but we pay 70 cents more per liter than the deplorables who import it. ????????
We supposedly have a deal the EU but I can`t find a good Brie anywhere at any price.
Thanks to the epidemic of Government lackey`s, camping and the outdoors is now a luxury endeavor . ( Many now prefer Walmart`s Parking Lot. They should Plant a few trees. )

T2 should get his ass off the yoga mat and go visit Putin for a few leadership lessons.

Economy based on credit and housing with few real pillars – auto, energy, that are fast disintegrating.

How about letting house market fall and then attract top talent from worldwide with 500 k + salaries?

Oh, I forgot that does not work well with the banks who need us to be indebted up to hilt to protect their profits, with the oligopolies who each want their cut, with public servants and union workers with gold plated pensions…..

They distributed the pie already and now suddenly it appears there are no qualified workers to deliver it…

So it becomes a virtual pie in a virtual economy.

By the way this was long coming, the intention of legalizing cannabis is simply to have Canadians stoned most of the time as the reality won’t be pretty.

If you have any regard to your old age well being or your kids life you should have left by now with all your assets so greedy politicians won’t be able to steal it.

For the spectators: enjoy the show.
For the participants: buy lubricant and relax, learn to enjoy it.
For investors: Buy lubricant companies.

I’ve been buying Brazilian built VWs for a long time. Trump’s attack on his own auto industry and his own companies, is not going to effect the prices of the cars I purchase.
________

If the USA auto industry starts increasing prices on cars exported to Canada (just because they can).

Were you expecting that the rest of the global auto industry will carry on at the same price point as prior to?

That’s not how it works – VW along with every other auto producer will RAISE their prices to match what our small domestic market re-establishes as competitive. All GM/Ford etc.. has to do is poke a little increase into the game and see what everyone else does. This goes on in the steel industry all the time.

Remember how much cheaper cars got here when our Loonie surpassed the Dollar back in the mid 2000’s? Nope, I don’t either. Fact is they didn’t voluntarily move it down a nickel. Not even the guys who were building the bloody things right here!

A good position to take when it comes to these multi-billion dollar, multinational corporations is to assume EVERYONE involved will take any and every opportunity to get the price up. That’s usually what happens.

I generally agree with you, AB Boxster. However, I would add that Canadians in general are so damned spoiled. We are little kids that have never known any adversity. Daddy brought pizza home every night and we watched movies, until one day the power company shutoff the supply and the credit card company cut daddy off. Canada today is embarrassing. That last generation to know adversity and appreciate what we have fought in WWII.

#86 AB Boxster on 06.12.18 at 7:34 pm

Oil patch jobs disappeared when oil went from $147 to $27 on world markets.

—————–
Absolutely correct.
And I am absolutely correct when I say that the rest of Canada basically shrugged its collective shoulders at the pain in Alberta.

Pipelines would help Alberta. But nope, no pipelines for you. Thanks BC, thanks Quebec for killing energy east. Thanks T2 for killing them all and driving investment out of the province.

Some federal or provincial support for the energy industryy would help.
But nope, you Albertans just produce dirty energy. And investment and jobs go elsewhere. We do have a carbon tax for you, and impossible regulations of you want to exploit your energy though.
Not for the car maunfacturers or Bombardier though. We love those guys right?

Canada used to be a country of cooperative regions.
Not any more. It is now a bunch of fiefdoms, only in it for themselves with the divider in chief running the show.

Fine. As I said, why should this region care what happens in the east, when that region has done nothing but put roadblocks in Alberta’s way to sell its energy to the world.

This is true regardless of whether the price of oil is $25 or $100 a barrel.

I went to University at Guelph. Often we would travel to Rock Concerts in Detroit. It was a happening place then… After NAFTA not so much… once I viewed the Pictures of the Desolation, of this once Great American city… I thought, what must the Americans think about our good jobs, in the Canadian Plants.. something will change here… What happened is we got complacent, started to Elect folks, who have no Business training, and guess what… all the Competitive advantages, of Canada, are gone, which was likely an important anchor, and rationale, for keeping the Partnership, with Canada, at least from Corporate standpoints.. Now the American Corporate entities, will have to relocate if there are exclusionary tariffs, which are coming. I have had a difficult time to understand, how our National Leader and the Leader of the Largest Economic province would not get it… They don’t even know what are countries biggest Exports are… T2 and the Marriage with Butts, lethal, to Oil, and then Wynne, Climatologist, forgets that good jobs, are much more important than her agenda… Garth you elude to being Shocked that Canadians, seem to support Trump… I think Canadians, like myself, are so…so so amazed by the lack of Common sense on the Part of our Leaders, that we look to anyone, with the Mission statement … I will help my people, as an almost Magical Transformation.. This is getting so stupid, and dangerous, for Canadians, especially the Younger Adults… For me it is almost Unconscionable.

“How can a CANADIAN support Trump’s trade policies against Canada? Why would you support someone who wants to destroy Canada’s economy and take full advantage? How is this helping Canada???”
———————————-
I don’t.

But I’m mature enough to see this highly flawed individual is at least trying to do what best for HIS economy.

It is NOT his job, to help Canada….

I can respect that a hell of lot more than the naive, left pandering drama teacher, scared to offend, solely concerned with being seen on the world stage as the leading and most influential SJW.

I know it’s a free blog, but can you guys put some originality into your endless critiquing of all that is Canada. Something other than:
– get popcorn and enjoy the show
– buy lube
– enjoy the pot you’re going to need it.

Funny stuff the first 100 times on here, it’s show a lack of creativity now. The time is almost up on the sock jokes but I’m not as sick of those yet.

Oh, and keep telling us how real estate prices peaked in 2013 Mark. That never stops being funny.

I could be wrong, but I understood the high tariffs on US Dairy had more to do with keeping US Dairy out of Canadian markets as they have chosen to use/contaminate their Dairy supply with Bovine Growth Hormone and we have not.
Here in Southern BC I can cross the line and buy Dairy, but only Tillamook products say “Contains no Bovine Growth Hormone”.

Does that change anything for you? Cheap milk/cheese and contaminate your kids?

Widen your research, sometimes there is more to it.

And make the best informed personal choices you can, based on your priorities. And don’t be naive.

#59 Nova Johnny on 06.12.18 at 6:49 pm
That’s it then, bring home Celine from Vegas, that’ll teach em!…….. The part that fries me is we paid 800,000,000 for a 3 day get together! How is that even possible? Looks like we may be needing that money soon for other things!
=====================================

Disgusting expense.

The meeting in Toronto a few years back was even more expensive at over a billion.

Most of this money if you follow it goes to friends who contract for security purposes. Also friends who are developers who make lakes for show and other shallow icons of EGO.

Would it not be more reasonable to hold all future meetings at military bases where security is free and already built in.

For a 200 million charge you could build a massive luxury hotel and use it brand new for the meeting. then you could bequeath something of value for the military to use for upgrading moral, barracks, military perks.
At least you could build something to be used in the future.

Squandering 800 million on a meeting and bullying a small town is really over the top especially when you leave nothing behind to show for it.

There is a boycott on the move against food product imports from USA. I personally had no idea just how much we manufactured in Canada. Looked at well over 100 items; there is even a Texas longhorn ranch in Ontario with beef products for example. Of course the boycott expands into other areas of interest.

Buy one from a dealership who has been instructed to clear the lot as the newer models will be released shortly. In this way your model year will be out, but its still brand new. I took one in the showroom quickly not so long ago, and saved untold thousands off the price.
#229

what a clear bias. a country divided really. ontatio n quebec, alberta n sask, bc, n rest.
all looking out for themselves.
even Garth the great is biased, becos of his Ontario roots i suppose.
just compare amount of subsidies n protection given to ontario n quebec (dairy, farming, auto, manufacturing, chmc/finance), and what has been given to date to alberta (nada).
as i said in first past the post, i.e. majority rule, smaller less populated provinces will never be treated fairly.

AB had the highest wages and lowest taxes. If you blew it, don’t blame the rest of the country. – Garth

Wow, lots of people carrying water for a malignant narcissist who would sell his own mother down the river for a buck.

There’s no grand strategy here, Trump causes chaos to placate his base and distract the media from the Mueller investigation. Mueller is heading to court to bust Manafort, long-time Trump friend and short-term campaign manager, and is finishing up Papadoplous and Flynn in July.

All these shenanigans are just a way to distract the media and the media always takes his bait.

I get you don’t like the liberals or democrats, but don’t shoot yourselves in the foot just to spite them.

Not everybody is reimbursed for their time on the level of Marie Antoinette, Garth. A third of a tank of gas for free and 4 for 1 cheese and milk, all on the same day is bigger than a once yearly Christmas bonus for most!
_____

True – my Xmas bonus is $0.00 these days

I use my own time to get jobs done, and hobbies going. I never compare what I make at work to what I might save by doing things myself, as I can’t just hire it out and go work a few hours at the office to pay for it every time I need something done.

Unless a guy is allowed to work whenever he wants, then if you saved 100.00 by mowing your own lawn, then that’s 100.00 in your pocket – you did not have anything more valuable to do with your time.

#223 Dogman01 on 06.13.18 at 9:31 am
“In a Bud Light-infused moment, it’s possible to see how an under-employed, bitter factory worker in Cleveland, Flint or Gary would support Donald J. Trump, New York billionaire”

They are angry…loss of station, working at a Steel Mill is “man’s work” …. They need status in their peer group hierarchy, not much else matters……they get angry, it is why people vote for change the NDP, The Donald, the Nazis, and Hugo Chavez.

If your house is already burning down around you, there isn’t much downside to trying to extinguish the blaze with a swimming pools worth of gasoline. It might be enough to deprive the fire of oxygen, or it might just explode, but the house is already toast. Practically, an explosion won’t make the house any worse off, so there’s no real downside to trying out the gasoline idea.

Bernie Sanders lost to the establishment machine…there was nowhere else for them to go but Donald…the status quo (Hillary) meant a continual loss of status in the hierarchy society. (Leading to addiction, depression, family breakdown)
______________________________________

That’s pretty much it. I like Trump’s rhetoric, I like how he handles foreign negotiations, I think he’s sincere, I like how he’ll just toss a grenade thru an open window and worry about the collateral damage later, I like his single focus, and bravado. I like that he is doing a lot of what he said he would do – especially since he has to kick dirt in just about everyone’s face to do so. I’d love an [email protected] with brass ones that clank running the show (but reality based). None of this is all that good for anyone – but it is refreshing.

But back in the real world – he can’t do what he is promising to do – that is to help his supporters climb the prosperity ladder. They’d never get paid enough to gain another rung even if they did get back into the steel mill. I sincerely hope deep down inside, every American realizes this.

Trump’s greatest value is that the world, and every US Politician now knows that Americans have a limit, and that lobbing a Molotov cocktail into the crowd is not off the menu. It could happen again. Hopefully the future Hillary’s and Barack’s are paying attention as the genie is now officially out of the bottle.

@#238 NEVER GIVE UP on 06.13.18 at 11:20 am
#59 Nova Johnny on 06.12.18 at 6:49 pm
That’s it then, bring home Celine from Vegas, that’ll teach em!…….. The part that fries me is we paid 800,000,000 for a 3 day get together! How is that even possible? Looks like we may be needing that money soon for other things!
=====================================

Disgusting expense.

The meeting in Toronto a few years back was even more expensive at over a billion.

Most of this money if you follow it goes to friends who contract for security purposes. Also friends who are developers who make lakes for show and other shallow icons of EGO.

Would it not be more reasonable to hold all future meetings at military bases where security is free and already built in.

For a 200 million charge you could build a massive luxury hotel and use it brand new for the meeting. then you could bequeath something of value for the military to use for upgrading moral, barracks, military perks.
At least you could build something to be used in the future.

Squandering 800 million on a meeting and bullying a small town is really over the top especially when you leave nothing behind to show for it.
______________
elitest deerhurst resort was renovated on the taxpayer dime and none of the G7 acyually went there lol. Benefits of being friends of flahery I suppose

Gravy Train on 06.13.18 at 6:23 am
#147 Fake News Again on 06.12.18 at 10:11 pm
“Two words for all you Trump haters……. BUTT HURT.”

Did you not read Garth’s blog yesterday and today, you genius baby? Go back and read them again until their meaning can penetrate your puny little brain! Garth is one of those Trump haters, you ‘knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, alt-right’ effing moron!

Why do you comment on this blog? Garth does not support—repeat, does not support—your position! Get it? No? I give up! You’re as dumb as a brick!

#243 calgary “a country divided really”
——————————————
Yes we are, and the rest of the world is going to continue to run us over because of it. We haven’t consistently been in the black on ‘balance of trade’ since 2008. [Enter the usual, useless political bashing here]

“I went to University at Guelph. Often we would travel to Rock Concerts in Detroit. It was a happening place then… After NAFTA not so much… once I viewed the Pictures of the Desolation, of this once Great American city… I thought, what must the Americans think about our good jobs, in the Canadian Plants..”
——————————————————-
I’m sure a lot of those ‘good jobs’ (US jobs) went to Mexico also.

No one can plead ignorance, especially the Clinton’s.

There was an amazingly accurate warning in the national media on the dangers of trade deals and the predicted impact on the citizenry. The link below is from a 1994 Charlie Rose interview with: Sir James Goldsmith:

#245 Shortymac on 06.13.18 at 11:59 am
Wow, lots of people carrying water for a malignant narcissist who would sell his own mother down the river for a buck.

There’s no grand strategy here, Trump causes chaos to placate his base and distract the media from the Mueller investigation. Mueller is heading to court to bust Manafort, long-time Trump friend and short-term campaign manager, and is finishing up Papadoplous and Flynn in July.

All these shenanigans are just a way to distract the media and the media always takes his bait.

I get you don’t like the liberals or democrats, but don’t shoot yourselves in the foot just to spite them.

————————–

I’m amazed that people can be so easily brainwashed.

After 2 years of the deep state bringing all of their resources to bear on the “Russian collusion” investigation, they have not found a single shred of evidence that Trump colluded with the Russians… Unless you know something I don’t, which is highly unlikely…

It`s more than just the bovine hormone thing. I`m sure you can buy non hormone in the US if you so desire.
We just purchased Jarlsberg and other EU cheese in the US for half the price it is in Canada if you can find it. And we have an EU trade deal and the US does not.http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/ceta/

We also bought Quebec pies unavailable in Ontario. You will probably get arrested by the OPP is you have a couple of cases of Manitoba beer in the trunk.
And did I mention cheap gas . The only thing T2 negotiated with the EU is a carbon tax .
Like so many Blog Dogs are saying , ” Canada is done ! ” So get prepared for adversity, austerity , more taxes and a lower standard of living. !

Maybe by waking Canadians out of their socialist induced slumber to face the reality that we are a two bit player in world economics – by our own idiocy ?

Maybe by Canadians seeing what a leader (Trump) does to further HIS country’s interests and wondering why our leaders don’t act with the same sense of mission ?

There is always a silver lining in the cloud – you just have to look for it.

Canada would be in a much less precarious position if we had allowed the approximately $ 100 Billion in energy projects that were cancelled in the past few years – we would not NEED the US energy market.

Canada – land of the dopey socialist agenda when we have a super capitalist nation as a neighbour.

Canadians will have to be impoverished before they will give up their fantasies of “Sunny ways”.

Chamberlain’s aeroplane landed at the Heston Aerodrome on 30 September 1938, and he spoke to the crowds there:

The settlement of the Czechoslovakian problem, which has now been achieved is, in my view, only the prelude to a larger settlement in which all Europe may find peace. This morning I had another talk with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, and here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine. Some of you, perhaps, have already heard what it contains but I would just like to read it to you: ” … We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again.”[3]

Later that day he stood outside 10 Downing Street and again read from the document and concluded:

My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Go home and get a nice quiet sleep.[3]
==========
24m acct. error led to -4b. market value
ARCP would rebrand itself as VEREIT, while the remnants of RCAP emerged from bankruptcy to form Cetera Financial Group.

======
Vereit Inc., successor to the former real estate investment company American Realty Capital Partners Inc. set up by Nicholas Schorsch, has agreed to pay Malvern-based Vanguard Group investment funds $90 million to settle a 2016 lawsuit.

That suit alleges that Schorsch, the Jenkintown scrap-metal heir, and his executives stole nearly $1 billion from their own company, causing a costly decline in the value of Vanguard’s investments.

#123 Smoking Man on 06.12.18 at 8:57 pm
BTW a cutie bungee in Long Branch just sold today for asking.
Went for 599k it was nicer than mine..nothing else is selling.
That’s going to lower the bar quite a bit. Looking at nice two stories in the 800k range that were going for 1.5 million.
/////////////////////

Smokie you are full of shite.
19 villa rd, 2 bed, sold for $960,000
93 fortieth st, sold for $950,000

Yes both were nicer than your place but no need to exaggerate
……………………………………………………………….
Smoking Man if you are going to bull$shit then at least make it look presentable. You sold because you had to. The rest of us do have options.
Also don’t gloat you pissy assed old fool.

#189 Johnnyboy
Do you think maybe you watch to much CNN? I havent been to North Korea when was the last time you were there? Do you not think that theres a slight possibility that a huge portion of what u see on the “News” is fabricated to some extent? If during this presidency you havent noticed how biased news can be you need more help than this forum can offer..Furthermore, do you not think it would be best to build up your opposition while trying to take away all there defence?
……………………………………………………………………
Please take an English literacy and spelling course you idiot!
BTW I Don’t have to take it from the “News” including “CNN”. My uncle was in the Korean war and told us firsthand of how the North Koreans treated prisoners and their own people. I have a neighbor five doors down who had an Aunt escape from North Korea 20 years ago. She pretty much confirms around a 100% of what I stated. That my friend is not news. Why would anyone make it up, every single escapee tells the same story. So Westcoast go bury you head in the sand.

Oh look, another Trump supporter who relies on despots to punish people he doesn’t agree with. Just because I’m a Liberal and you’re a Conservative, doesn’t mean we have to hate one another. Or try to destroy each other’s lives to make ourselves feel better. What a world you live in, where only you matter. And everyone else makes you sick. What a sad state to live in. Maybe you should try smoking some weed and relaxing like us Hippies you despise so much.

#230 Brett in Calgary

What’s funny to me is that you point the finger at the entire country like they let you down somehow. When you know that if the roles were reversed you wouldn’t lose a second of sleep over Ontario’s woes. So this higher than thou attitude you hold towards all of us is a bunch of bull.

If it wasn’t a bad dream, last night on the TV they said the Three Amigo’s are going to host the World Soccer League.

So how many of our last dollarettes will this cost in VIP travel and venue construction to watch grown men kick a ball on a featureless field.

Will a billion cover our third?

Can WE (still) afford that?

NS which operates on a yearly balanced budget wisely abandoned their won bid for the Commonwealth Games not too many years ago. Almost exclusively the credit for that profound bit of fiscal responsibility goes to the efforts of the late great Bruce DeVenne, a relentless letter to the editor writer. God bless activists that choose a good cause.

One more time, for all the interest rate nay-sayers, the US Fed has raised rates. And has indicated possibly two more raises this year, and three (3) more in 2019.

Of course, these plans may be affected by the coming trade war, as more than 1.8 million jobs in the US alone are endangered by Trump’s tariffs and if NAFTA were to be scuttled.

Also, raising US interest rates makes the Canadian dollar lower, meaning those Canadian goods currently subject to tariffs are looking cheaper and cheaper compared to US alternatives, when it comes to world markets.

More business for Canadian companies, fewer sales for US-based companies. Another Trump ‘win’!

*****************************************
Well, I am still reading but much less inclined to post anything after Garth on two recent occasions suppressed posts that I made questioning whether zero-payments-required equity lines of credit exist to any great extent such as the claimed 40% who are paying no interest.

I checked the big bank web sites and found that they said the minimum payment was interest, and I phoned TD twice and they said you must pay the interest and it must not be paid from the line of credit. And when I asked for a link to a big bank offering no payments required the post did not appear. This happened twice so I don’t think it was a technical error.

I don’t want to go out of my way to offend Garth, so maybe I should just stop posting. I was just trying to set the record straight as I see it.

Well as far as I am concerned, I believe I am right, so the fact that Garth was apparently unwilling to even publish my comment asking for a link to the claimed no-payments lines of credit or accept that maybe he was wrong on this occasion (misled by his source document) is something only he can explain.

Your last two were not published since they were completely redundant, and you are confusing people with your paucity of understanding how LOCs actually work these days. If you had one, perhaps you would be in a better position to comment. But you do not. So give it up. – Garth

Several people had complained that their cards had been stolen and used to buy $400 Garmin Trashbreaker electronic dog collars. His security software determined the orders were linked, but they were being shipped to houses all over the country, including in Tucson. When the next order came in, Evans decided to follow it.
Evans called police departments around the country and told them what he knew. Locally, he worked with the Pima County Sheriff’s Office to set up a controlled delivery of the dog collar. When the recipient arrived home to pick up the package, police swarmed. Evans later spoke to him and learned that he was hired through a posting on Craigslist. Evans says the man was paid $20 to receive a package and ship it to a freight-forwarding center, which would combine his items with other shipments and send them overseas. Evans persuaded the man to share a list of everything he’d shipped for the service. “It was water filtration systems, duct tape, containment fences, tents, clothing, blankets, shoes,” Evans says. After seeing the list, he says, “we started thinking human trafficking and human smuggling.” Evans and his team began to compile documents and other data and presented the case at the FBI field office in Phoenix.

Just a thought. How many of these pro Trump comments do you think might be coming from bots, or web spammers in other countries trying to influence Canadian politics. I am not a conspiracy theorist but I do hear that many of these kind of comments in the comment sections of, say, CBC, are generated to influence people through emotional characterizations…

This site is equipped with the latest Beagle Bot-Smelling Defence System. So, no, they’re just deplorables. – Garth

Trump will be removed by corporate interests if he destroys NAFTA They allow him to diddle at the margins but if he goes after the auto pact or NAFTA its impeachment time. Watch the stock market – if it takes a 20% tumble, Trump is history.

It`s more than just the bovine hormone thing. I`m sure you can buy non hormone in the US if you so desire.
We just purchased Jarlsberg and other EU cheese in the US for half the price it is in Canada if you can find it. And we have an EU trade deal and the US does not.http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/ceta/

We also bought Quebec pies unavailable in Ontario. You will probably get arrested by the OPP is you have a couple of cases of Manitoba beer in the trunk.
And did I mention cheap gas . The only thing T2 negotiated with the EU is a carbon tax .
Like so many Blog Dogs are saying , ” Canada is done ! ” So get prepared for adversity, austerity , more taxes and a lower standard of living. !
………………………………………………………………..
T2 is done for term number two. There is no way he and his Liberal cronies can feed this BS to Canadians any more when their purchasing power is diminished to the point of buying loafs of bread with wheel-barrels full of paper money. It is coming!

Good news interest rates to move higher than previously slated. They can accomplish anything with falsified data so if everyone loses their job they’ll just tell you everyone just gained a job. The same as we’ve seen with the phony stock market in America. Everything is based on falsified data and the eternal rigging of the entire system.

Yes Trump is a buffoon. An idiotic, uneducated, egotistical bla bla bla but I don’t think he’s a racist. I think the opposite. People (sheep) repeat what they hear not knowing if it’s true because it suits their narrative. When you come hear to comment, please back it up with facts. I’m sick of people like you wasting space. Oh and does that make me a racist? Curious because I have no idea what RACE you are. Look up RACE in the dictionary before you comment here again.

Trump reminds me of a young man who just proposed marriage to his girlfriend who said yes. She runs off to see her girlfriends yelling I am engaged to be married now. They all together say show us the ring, show us the ring with all smiles at this special moment. The engaged girl looks shocked and replies – no ring, as he must have forgot!

286 comments ATM. I”‘m moving closer to a popcorn-induced carb coma. Gotta get strict squirrel-paleo starting next week, or the six pack is sooo gone. Oh, and the Bud Light reference is depressing. This was supposed to be a single malt blog (or at least any kind of 80+ proof for the poorer -i.e not indebted- blogdogs) :)

I told you guys when I was down in Florida recently, things were rocking retail. The mall atmosphere down there from high end to discount is that you see customers with BAGS in their hands.
In Canada you see people in malls mostly with no bags. Huh. Dollarama is stalling out now….tells you something.
The USA economy is HOT. Maybe too hot but when you gave something like that, your imports go up, hence the trade numbers and why Trumpie is upset.https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/u-s-retail-sales-top-forecasts-bolstering-pickup-in-economy-1.1092900
Regardless, we now have a tale of two economies that USED to correlate until, their housing went south and ours went north for years.
I got a complaint today from CAD customer who was shocked at the cost when something is converted to CAD and plus HST.

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The views expressed are those of the author, Garth Turner, a Raymond James Financial Advisor, and not necessarily those of Raymond James Ltd. It is provided as a general source of information only and should not be considered to be personal investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell securities. Investors considering any investment should consult with their Investment Advisor to ensure that it is suitable for the investor's circumstances and risk tolerance before making any investment decision. The information contained in this blog was obtained from sources believed to be reliable, however, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete. Raymond James Ltd. is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund.